


For The Greater Good

by MistakenAngel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Harry, Evil Albus Dumbledore, F/M, Good Voldemort (Harry Potter), Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:28:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 30
Words: 30,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28688691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistakenAngel/pseuds/MistakenAngel
Summary: What if the story you know of Tom Riddle is all wrong? What if the real so called Dark Lord of the wizarding world was none other than Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts? This is my what if story on how I think things might have played out if that was the case. Please don't forget to drop a vote, and or comment. Thank you so much for reading ahead of time.
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, Albus Dumbledore/Minerva McGonagall, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Tom Riddle, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Queenie Goldstein & Gellert Grindelwald, Vernon Dursley/Harry Potter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

One: The Boy Who Lived

Tom

The Potter residence was in shambles by the time I arrived. The Dark Lord had already done his violent, dark work, and Nagini hissed sadly at the carnage that was wrought around them. "The hatchling livesss," She said sadly, "But he only jusst needss a better home."

I found the infant Harry Potter lying in his crib, his little green eyes red from crying for so long. Dark magic encircled him, and I knew that my worst fears had come to pass: The Boy Who Lived held part of the Dark Lord's soul within him. But it easily could have been that other boy, Neville Longbottom, who was born this month as well. No, the Dark Lord had made his choice, and for better or worse, it was this one year old wizard with a cursed lightning scar mark on his forehead for life. 

I picked up the child, and sang him a song my mother Merope Gaunt used to sing to me. Well, until she passed away when I was two. I barely remember her, really, just visions and feelings. 

A faint knock was heard on the nursery door, and Severus Snape popped his head in. He too had been crying, and I had almost forgotten that he had loved Lily Potter. Harry stopped crying, and I handed the baby off to him, and showed him how to hold the infant's head. 

"Did you contact Hagrid and Minerva?" I asked Severus.

"Yes. They should be here, very, very soon," He said. "But...I...I don't think I can spy for that crazed psycho, Tom. Are you certain that this child will need to be taught at Hogwarts? He made my life a living hell when I went to school, him and his fucking self righteous bullshit about the greater good."

I nodded, "Yes, I know. But until we can reveal ourselves to be on the side of good, we have to appear as deatheaters, and that means that for Harry's protection, he has to live in the muggle world."

Severus wiped at his nose. "He's better off living in an orphanage. I've watched the Dursleys all afternoon, they are the worst sort of muggles to place him with, Tom, they truly are."

I sighed. "And _you're_ any better?"  
"At least I won't mistreat him."  
"Nor would I, but Bellatrix and I have our house full with kids already," I explained. 

"Fine. I will watch over him as the Order wishes," Severus said reluctantly. "But I am doing this under extreme protest and duress."

I flashed the dour potions master my most winning smile, "Noted. And while you're there, do try to not be such an asshole whilst there."

"You overstep Riddle."  
"Whatever, just do it."  
"As you say."

I knew that this was the most cooperative my best friend was going to be so I just left it alone. With Severus Snape, one must choose their battles, I have learned a long time ago. The knock sounded on the front door, and Nagini informed me that Hagrid was at the front door. 

"Well, let's go downstairs and hand off this boy to his relatives," I said. I wrapped Harry up in a blanket and Severus hid somewhere in the house. 

"Is that the lad?" Hagrid asked, looking down on the bundled up infant boy in my arms.

"Yes," I said, "I trust you have Dumbledore's letter?"

"Yep," The big burly half giant said with some pride. How little he knew. "Got it in me back pocket along w' my other things."   
I didn't want to hand the baby off to the half giant, but he had his role to play, as did we all in this war. The father in me subtly adjusted Harry's head to fit more snug in the crook of the half giant's elbow. Hagrid made funny faces at the baby, and Harry giggled and tugged on Hagrid's bushy beard. I stifled my urge to smile at the baby's antics. Severus watched from the house, and I murmured a protection spell over the baby.

Hagrid put the baby in the side car of his enchanted motorcycle, and started it up. When the giant and boy were well up in the sky, I said, "Good luck, Harry Potter..."


	2. The House Slave

Harry

In the small, dirty basement, the boy who lived while his parents died, resided in a small, cramped room. He was skinny, and malnourished, but not to the point of emaciation, because he needed to be strong enough to go about his house duties, especially that of pleasing his Uncle's appetite of him enjoying the use of his body. Dark circles and bags hanged on his face, and he was frightfully pale like a ghost with hand me down clothes that barely fit him.

Dudley came down to the dungeon cell that served as the dark haired boy's room, and Harry heard the sound of his gruel being slid into the food grate. "Get up, loser! Mum and dad are taking us both to the zoo, and mum wants you to put makeup on to cover up your beauty marks," Dudley declared.

The boy known as Harry James Potter, looked more like a skeleton than a ten year old boy. But he was not aware of this. Nor was he aware that the way he was being treated by his family was in any way unhealthy, and wrong. No, to the boy it was just life, and another day to get through.

Harry fell upon the food and ate off the filthy floor like an animal. He then shoved the gruel aside and put on the clothes he was to wear for the day. He was almost eleven years old, but he could pass for eight, since he was so thin. He put on his round glasses, and made his way up the stairs.

He eyed the pancakes, eggs, bacon, and waffles covetously. He was so hungry. But he knew that if he reached for any of his master's food that he would be beaten within an inch of his life. Maybe it would be the cane, maybe his belt. Either way, the consequences were not good.

"Hurry up, with my coffee!" Uncle Vernon snarled, as he chewed with his mouth open.

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

Harry brought his master his coffee, and set it down on the table. Harry went back to cooking, and when it was all done, he served everyone. Dudley was screaming at his parents about his 'lack,' of presents. His parents tried to placate him, but he threw a fit.

Harry handled the clean up duties, and cleaned the kitchen without complaint. He also was able to sneak in some of their unfinished breakfast food. Everything tasted heavenly, until he heard footsteps behind him.

His Uncle wrenched his right arm behind his back, and began punching him in the face. The boy did not cry out, not once, he was used to this brutality by now. "What did I tell you about eating our food, slave??"

"To...to not to, but...I'm so hungry, master," Harry pleaded, huddling in the corner of the kitchen. "Please let me eat."

"Not a chance!" His Uncle looked at his watch. "Well, you know the consequences. But we will deal with that later. I want you in that shower. You will be taking another one when you get back. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said weakly.

Harry took a shower, and if anyone cared to look upon him, would see that his skinny body was a testament of scars, scratches, and bruises all over his body. But the worst scars were on his mind. Oh yes, those were scars which would take the longest to heal. But Harry did not think of this as he cleaned himself, brushed and flossed his teeth, and put on his 'fancy clothes.' His fancy clothes were different than his 'house clothes,' because while they were hand me downs, they weren't rags, exactly.

As the skinny, dark haired wizard went to the zoo with his captors, he went into his daze of apathy where nothing could hurt him, and even the taunts of his fat cousin Dudley had no effect. But that was all to change when they came to the reptile exhibit...


	3. Reptile Friend

Harry

This entire zoo trip was a waste of time for the glasses wearing, skinny ten year old boy who walked meekly behind the Dursleys like a beaten, docile dog, instead of part of their party. He knew that they had brought him along, because they wanted to crush his spirit even more than it already was. 

But when Harry walked into the reptile exhibit, he heard friendly hisses from the various species of snakes in their cages. 

"Poor hatchling..." He heard some of them hiss to each other. "He lookss sso ssad....Ssomeone ssay ssomething to him..." At first, Harry thought he was imagining the voices, some female, some male, but then he approached the big anaconda cage, and saw that this snake came from Burma originally.

Dudley was already smacking on the plexiglass, and demanding that the snake move. "Daddy, get it to move!" Dudley whined, "It's my birthday, and _I_ say he should move!!"

His Uncle rapped on the glass and demanded, "Move!"

"He's asleep," Harry said quietly.  
Dudley slapped him, and said, "Who the hell asked _you_?"

The Dursleys went to look at other exhibits, and that left Harry alone. "Sorry about that," He apologized, "My cousin...he's stupid. You must get tired of lying there day after day with people pressing their ugly faces at you all day."

Harry heard a chuckle from the snake, and he lifted his head. "Well, none of them are asss interessting asss you," The snake said, amused. 

Harry's eyes went wide with shock. "Can...can you _hear_ me?"

The snake nodded its head. "Of coursse I can hear you, boy. You're a parsselmouth. Not too many wizardss come to vissit me. What isss your name, hatchling?"

"Harry Potter."  
"Of courssse. Free me, and I can get back to my mate Nagini," The snake said, drawing himself up a branch to better look at Harry.

Before Harry could answer, Dudley shoved him out of the way, and shouted, "Daddy, look! Look at what this snake is doing!"

Harry fell to the ground, and some energy that he didn't know he had inside him projected outwards, and suddenly the plexiglass partition of the snake exhibit disappeared, and then reappeared. 

The big, sleek anaconda slithered out of the enclosure, and said, "Thank you, hatchling. Your kindnesss will not be forgotten."

"Any time," Harry said nervously. The snake hissed angrily as it slithered away, scaring several of the zoo patrons. Dudley was yelling and crying as he tried to get out. Harry laughed at his cousin's discomfort, but then his stomach dropped, and he felt sick when he saw his Uncle look at him.

_Oh no, what is he going to do to me now?_ Harry wondered. He honestly did not want to know. His piggy, beady little eyes stared at him coldly, and when the zoo keepers finally got Dudley out of the reptile exhibit, his Uncle threw him down the stairs.

Aunt Petunia never interfered in his "punishments," as she saw it, he was no better than the gum on the bottom of a shoe. Harry tried to scramble to his cell, but his fat Uncle was surprisingly strong. His clothes were ripped off, and before Harry could react, he was being raped violently.

When his Uncle got off, Harry's ass and pelvis hurt as it was being ground into the hard cement of the basement. Harry heard his Uncle zip up his pants, and used his belt to whip him harshly. 

"Will I hear any more outbursts out of you, slave?!" His Uncle demanded. 

"No, master!" Harry cried.  
"And your punishments?"  
"Are all my doing."

"Good. Now, clean up your mess," His Uncle demanded, slapping him in the face. "I won't have evidence of your fairy juices all over the damn floor." 

"Yes, master."  
His Uncle left him there, and of course, he had nothing to clean up his own mess. He had to take off his shirt to clean up the white mess that always seemed to spill out of him, despite how disgusted he was with his Uncle using him for his own sick pleasures. 

When he was done, he had to put the nasty, filthy shirt back on, and go to his cell. He cried for a very long time after that, curled up into a fetal position, and not for the first time, wished that whoever had killed his parents would just come back to finish the job. Anything to erase the pain of being abused every which way. But that help would not arrive until after a strange sealed letter arrived from a very strange place called Hogwarts...


	4. The Report

Tom

I listened to Viktor, Nagini's mate's report, with growing alarm.

" _You are certain that the muggle is not acting alone?_ " I asked in parseltongue. " _Has the boy received his letter to Hogwarts yet?"_

" _Not yet, but masster,_ " Viktor hissed sadly, " _The hatchling looked ssso sssad. He iss not ssafe with thosse humansss."_

" _Nagini_?" I asked, stroking her back. " _You seem unusually quiet tonight."_

" _I want to kill thosse muggless for abussing the boy,"_ Nagini hissed coldly, rolling over so her new hatchlings could suckle from her. " _My mate ssayss that they did thingsss to him. Unnatural thingss."_

A huge weight of remorse fell upon me. Severus was right, but I hated to admit that to my friend. Ever since I saved him from one of James Potter's cruel pranks, we have been great friends, but he can be a self righteous prick sometimes. I gave Nagini a friendly pat on the back of her scales, and let her do her nursing, while her mate was glad to be reunited with his family. 

I fixed myself a drink in the den, and that is where Bellatrix found me. I was sitting by the fireplace, feeling like a complete failure. She wore a lovely dark blue nightgown with a matching silk robe over it, the gown and robe outlining her shapely figure, even after the birth of three children. Even after five years, the sight of her still takes my breath away. 

"When are you coming to bed, Tom? I have the kids all settled down in bed," She said suggestively. 

I shook my head. "I can't, Bella. Not tonight. I just heard some disturbing news from Viktor."

Her dark brown eyes widened in surprise, "Nagini's mate has returned? But I thought he was lost to us after the last war."

The firewhisky burned its way down my throat as I sipped it. "Yes, I thought so too, but Harry Potter used magic and freed him. They spoke briefly, and he traveled here."

Bella went to the liquor service trolley and fixed herself a glass as well. She sat across from me in the opposite chair, and she said, "How many Order members do we have infiltrating the deatheaters?"

"Four. No, you aren't to know their names, Bella," I said sternly. She fixed me with a steely stare, and pushed her frizzy curly hair out of her face. 

When she saw that I wasn't going to back down from the issue, she held up her hands in defeat. "Fine! I did say that I wanted a break after Caleb was born, didn't I? I was merely curious."

I nodded, "I know, dear. But if you are captured by the enemy and they perform legilimency on you, or use veritaserum, and you know nothing, you can divulge nothing."

"I know, Tom," She said, rising. "Well, I will be in bed if you need me. Please don't take forever."

"I won't," I promised. She drained her glass and set it on the trolley. I nursed my whiskey for another half hour, and still couldn't come up with an adequate solution that would keep Harry Potter out of more danger. Perhaps I should have listened to Severus Snape, and had him care for the child. But I did not imagine that the boy's mother's relatives would abuse the boy.

_You're losing your touch, family man,_ I chided myself sharply. _You aren't thinking like a proper Slytherin would. No, it's time to call the Serpens, and have them watch the boy._ I drained my glass. Yes, that was the solution, and it had been the most obvious one the entire time: Lucius Malfoy was Governor of Hogwarts, let him use his son Draco to watch over him. Even with Draco pretending to uphold the blood status prejudices, he would be in an optimal position to look after the boy when Severus could not.

I went to bed that night with a lot more joy and contentment than I started the evening with, because I had a plan with a clear goal in mind: protect Harry Potter. He was the Chosen One, and could bring about the Dark Lord's reign of terror alone; and finally, I knew of a way to do just that: use my own school House to look after and protect him, for without Harry Potter we had nothing after all, and I always liked to win no matter what the odds were, after all...


	5. The Hogwarts Letters

Harry

The basement cell that the black haired, glasses wearing prisoner was being held in, was wrenched open, and Harry instinctively curled up into the fetal position. But it was only Aunt Petunia. He relaxed slightly, but only just, because she liked to psychologically abuse him, not physically or sexually the way his Uncle tended to do. 

She slapped him awake. "Wake _up_ , slave! Your master wishes to see you."

Harry put on his fancy clothes, and followed his Aunt up the stairs to the kitchen. His Uncle was reading over a letter, and then he shoved a letter in his face. The letter read:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Please be informed that classes begin on the first of September. Enclosed is a list of all of your school supplies and your ticket for the Hogwarts Express. We look forward to working with you._

_Sincerely,_

_M. McGonagoll_   
_Deputy Headmistress_

"At last, you are off my hands, freak," Uncle Vernon grumbled. "I only hope that you are able to remain there all year, and not darken my doorstep. But then, you would miss me, wouldn't you, eh?"

Harry fought down his revulsion. If there was one thing he hated more, it was being raped by this disgusting pig of a man. 

He swallowed, and ground out, "Yes, I would, sir."

"Good. I like to hear that," His Uncle said, clapping him on the shoulder hard. "Dudley! Get in here!"

Dudley, Harry's fat, spoiled brat of a cousin ran down the stairs. "Yes, dad?"

"Put it with your storage crap," His Uncle ordered. "It's going to be leaving us...hopefully all year long, if _I_ have anything to say about it."

Dudley grabbed Harry's thin arm, and dragged him up the stairs to a second room. Dudley shoved Harry into this second bedroom, and locked the door behind him. Harry laid on the dusty twin bed and almost ignored the meal that slid in the meal slot. 

Against his instincts, hunger decided to win, and he fell on the food like a ravenous animal. He was shocked that they would actually deem him fit to enjoy real food, instead of the usual gruel. He ate the food quickly, and even enjoyed the water that came with it. He slid the tray out when he was done. 

He slept after that, his belly full and content for the first time in his life. But things only got better when he awoke in the morning the next day...

✂--------

Vernon

He was scared, deathly terrified of defying the Dark Lord. He had seen what fate befell those who truly displeased him, and muggle though he was, he still played his part. Petunia looked scared when he opened the seal on the second letter from Hogwarts.

"Are...are you sure they're sending someone to take him off our hands, Vernon?" Petunia asked, fearfully. 

"I would hate for it to be the Dark Lord or Lady. She was terribly strict with the students," Petunia pointed out. 

Vernon shrugged off his wife's fears. It mattered little to him that his wife was a witch, albeit a very weak one. But she did give him a foothold into their freakish world, and so he tolerated her use of magic in the house to care for their home and the like. Dudley turned out to be what they called a squib, and so was deemed ineligible to attend any wizarding school. But Harry? Yes, Harry took after his parents, and became a true wizard. 

The letter read:

_Dear Vernon,_

_I am writing to tell you to prepare Harry Potter for his journey to Hogwarts. A teacher I trust completely will arrive to collect the boy, and take him to King's Cross Station to meet the train on time. Do not forget to repress the boy with every available opportunity when he is placed on your doorstep during Easter and the summer holidays._

_Sincerely,_

_A. Dumbledore_   
_Headmaster_

Petunia read the letter over his shoulder and frowned. "I cannot understand why on Earth we must suffer his presence two times out of the year. Have I not done enough to raise the brat? It's not as if I asked for my stupid sister to get blown up!"

He hugged his wife as best as he could. "You know we can't refuse to obey his orders," He reminded her. "Our obedience is the only thing keeping our Dudders alive."

Petunia nodded. "You're right, Vernny. Let's go to bed."

He kissed her, and they turned out the lights and made love. It was a good thing too, because when the mysterious teacher arrived to take "it," off their hands, it would not turn out to be a pleasant morning after all...


	6. An Auspicious Arrival

Severus

He arrived two hours ahead of schedule. Privet Drive looked like a picture perfect British suburb, but Severus knew damned well that appearances could be deceiving. He had decided to dress in a black, tailored muggle suit with a dark green tie. He put on a fitted trench coat over the top of this suit, and walked past the houses of muggles he knew were watching him from their windows. 

Severus checked his pocket watch. Right on time. He strolled up to the front porch, and rang the doorbell. A tall, skinny horse faced woman opened the door, and looked at him fearfully. 

"P..Professor Snape?"  
"Mrs. Dursley. I have come for the boy," He said coolly. 

"Can I interest you in some coffee or tea...or..." She stammered. Severus followed her into the house. Dudley stared after him, and looked like he was about to piss his pants. Vernon Dudley appeared with...a skeleton for a ten year old boy.

What the fuck?? He thought, his rage bubbling just below the surface. A muscle ticked in his jaw. Harry Potter looked up at him, and asked, "Are...are you a wizard, s-sir?"

Severus looked down at the boy, and could only see Lily's eyes in this boy, the rest was all James Potter. _Why? Why, him, Lily? I would have been kind to you, even loved you as you deserved. How many times did you come to me crying about some stupid fight you had with him, or that I had to comfort you in my bed from time to time? Why did you still choose that arrogant, shallow asshole, and have his child, why?_

"Yes, Potter, I am a wizard," Severus answered brusquely. He turned his cold gaze on Lily's sister. "Take Potter into the kitchen, I have some...unfinished business to attend to with your... _husband_."

Petunia quaked in fear, "Oh, please Professor Snape, don't hurt my Vernny! He was only under orders from You Know Who."

"Silence! Do as I request. I will not ask kindly again," He pressed. With uncharacteristic gentleness, she ushered Harry Potter into the kitchen, and Severus turned to Vernon Dudley. 

"Legilimens!" He cast with his wand. Images of abuse, sexual, physical, and psychological came to him. Severus felt sick, and he felt his rage grow and grow, because it reminded him all too well of his own alcoholic, mentally unstable muggle father Tobias Snape. The fat tub of lard that was Potter's cousin was going to be killed by Dumbledore, should him and his wife, not welcome Lily's son with open arms. He had also been under orders to 'repress the boy for the greater good.' But Dumbledore said nothing about the sexual abuse. 

Severus ended the spell and an evil smile played across his pale lips. "Sterilus impotenta," He cast with his wand. 

The fat man clutched at his aching balls, because blood was pooling around his genitals. He began screaming. He walked calmly through the kitchen where Petunia Dursley was holding a wand against Harry Potter's throat. 

"What did you do to him, you monster?!" She demanded, crying. 

Severus shrugged, "Oh, that? I was simply doing you a favor by eliminating the need to share intimacy with him. You see, I ensured that his tiny cock will have no part of your nephew, or with you for that matter. Now, you can have him bleed out into your berber carpet and die, or allow me and Mr. Potter to leave the premises. Your choice."

Petunia cried and clutched at her chest in sorrow. "Come along, Potter. We have dallied here long enough. Unless you wish to remain, of course?"

Harry seemed to look at his sobbing, despondent Aunt, and listened to his screaming Uncle in the living room, as if deciding if all of this was a dream or not. 

Severus held out his hand, and said to him soothingly in his mind, " _I assure you, Mr. Potter, that all of this is very real, and happening to you. Do you really wish for your fat pig of an Uncle to continue to beat, and use you for his sick pleasure? Or for your Aunt and cousin to treat you like a slave in your late mother's childhood home?"_

Harry took a deep breath, and placed his hand in his. It was very cold, and was as thin as a bird's. Severus nodded, and they walked out of the kitchen into the living room. Harry let go of his hand, and stood over his Uncle. 

He gave a hard, sharp kick to the muggle's family jewels and Harry shouted, "That's for the rapes, you sick, twisted wanker!"

Harry spit in the man's face and took his hand again. A ghost of a smile wreathed the potion master's lips. The boy did not speak as they walked to where the apparation point was. 

Severus stopped, and the boy almost ran into him. "Now, pay attention Potter. We are going to disapparate, and it will be very nauseating for you. When I take your hand again, I want you to hold on tight until we reach our destination. Do not let go of my hand. Is that clear?" 

"Yes, sir. But why can't we just take a taxi?" Potter asked curiously. 

"Because this is faster."  
"Oh. Okay."

Severus held out his hand, and he turned on the spot, and disapparated to The Leaky Cauldron Inn so that they could go buy school supplies at Diagon Alley. As predicted, the boy puked in the nearest alleyway, and he had to help him up. They went inside the pub, and Potter followed behind him like a lost puppy dog. People stared open mouthed at the strange sight of the infamous potions master of Hogwarts escorting a skinny, dark haired wizard that could almost pass as his son. 

They walked out to the enchanted brick wall in the backyard, and Severus tapped a group of stones in a sequence with his sleek black wand. The red bricks shifted to form a walkway between The Leaky Cauldron, and Diagon Alley.

As predicted, the boy gaped at everything like a tourist, and he had to keep hustling him along from one store to another to buy his school supplies. Of course, all of the supplies were deducted automatically from his parent's vault at Gringotts Bank, but the boy didn't need to know that. He took Harry to Gringotts, and had him withdraw some spending money, and bought the boy a meal, and some clothes. Of course, he unconsciously dressed the boy in a miniature version of his frock coat, and tailored, black look, but he thought it suited the boy just fine, in his opinion.

The boy smiled up at him warmly, and hugged him happily. Severus hugged Potter awkwardly, and tousled the boy's black hair before they apparated to King's Cross Station. 

He got him through platform 9 3/4 quarters, and said abruptly, "This is where I leave you, Potter. Take your trunk to the porters, and they will load your things for you."

Harry hugged him, and said, "Thank you, sir. I..I know you can't be casual since you're a teacher, but um, thanks."

"Your gratitude is not required, Mr. Potter," Severus explained, gently disentangling himself from the boy's arms. "I am merely following orders."

Severus left Harry Potter on the platform, and blended into the crowd. He scowled at Tom Riddle's audacity. He was the one who liked kids, not him! He should have been there to guide the boy through Diagon Alley, not him. He couldn't wait to berate his old friend for this farce, because berate he would, there could be no doubt of that. He disapparated to the meeting spot, and met Tom Riddle later that night, and his news erased all doubt in Severus Snape's mind as to why this cause was the right one after all... 


	7. Some Friendly Faces

Harry

The skinny, eleven year old boy, as of earlier that morning, boarded the Hogwarts Express for the very first time. The train was this beautiful red steam engine, and looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale. 

He ran a hand down his many cloth buttons on his new black frock coat. The collar was high, and rather uncomfortable, and Professor Snape seemed distant, but not as cold as he wanted him to believe. Also, he didn't strike him as sinister, although people who passed them by on the streets seemed to give the tall, dour wizard a rather wide berth.

He managed to find an empty train compartment, and he sat by the window, and enjoyed the scenery going by as the train started up. 

He was about to doze off when a ginger haired boy his age stumbled in, and asked shyly, "Do you mind if I like...sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Sure," Harry remarked, and let the ginger boy sit across from him. "So, um, have you like been to Hogwarts before?"

"Nope," The boy said. "You?"  
"Nope."  
"I'm Ron by the way. Ron Weasley," The ginger haired boy introduced himself. 

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter."  
Ron's blue eyes lit up, and he said, awestruck, "Wicked! So..um, do you really have the umm...um..?"

"What?" Harry pressed.  
"Scar," Ron whispered.

"Oh. Yeah." Harry lifted up his bangs, and a small lightning shaped scar was carved into the middle of his forehead.

"Wicked."  
They shook hands then, and while Harry didn't quite care for the hero worship, he found Ron's kindness a breath of fresh air.

They ordered all of the sweets off of the trolley when the witch came by, and were digging into their candy when a bushy haired brown haired girl with amber eyes burst into their train cabin, and asked, "Have you two seen a toad? A boy Neville two cars down lost it."

"No, can't say we have, right Ron?" Harry asked, nibbling on a licorice wand. 

Ron, who was stuffing his face with candy like a squirrel, shook his head. Ron swallowed. "Hey Harry, my brother Fred gave me a spell to turn my rat Scabbers yellow. You wanna see?"

"Sure," Harry said.  
The girl simply watched, sitting next to Harry and eating a pumpkin pastie delicately. 

Ron cleared his throat and said, "Sunshine daisies, turn this stupid fat rat yellow." He flicked his wand and the box of Every Flavor Jelly Beans went flying. 

The witch giggled, "Are you sure that's a _real_ spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've only practiced simple spells, but they've all worked for me. For example," She pointed her wand at Harry and cast, "Occulus reparo."

Harry's round framed glasses repaired itself. "Cool. Thanks...Um, I didn't catch your name, sorry."

"I'm Hermione Granger."  
"Harry Potter," Harry said, introducing himself. 

Hermione's eyes widened in recognition for a moment, but then she nodded. Their hands touched, and there was this lovely tingle that ran up and down his arm. 

"And _you_ are?" Hermione prompted Ron, who was still eating his weight in sweets. 

"Won..Weas...ly," Ron said with his mouth full. 

Hermione looked nauseous as she said, "Pleasure." She stood up, and went to the train cabin door. "Well, this was diverting. But I should get back to my own cabin. You two better change into your school robes, I expect we'll be arriving in Hogsmeade soon."

Ron rolled his eyes when Hermione left, and the scent of Jasmine and Lavender was left behind by her presence. "Mental that one, I'm telling ya."

"I thought she was nice," Harry shrugged. "Hey, um, do you smell perfume?"

Ron looked at him like he had lost his marbles. "Uh, no. Just this sweet stuff. Why?"

Harry shrugged, "No reason."

They got changed into their school uniforms, but Harry found himself reluctant to fold up and put away such a nice frock coat, it seemed such a shame. Despite Professor Snape putting on a rather prickly front, Harry found that he respected and liked the older wizard a great deal. He decided then that he would try to be as self contained as him. After all, it had served him well in dealing with his Uncle's abuse, and he didn't see school as any different, really.

  
He sat in a boat with Ron, Hermione, and that boy Neville Longbottom who lost his pet toad Trevor. The castle of Hogwarts was lit up like an inviting, imposing Christmas tree, and as soon Harry saw it, he felt like he was coming home.

He felt like this was a fresh start and a new life for him, and as everyone went up the main staircase to listen to the old witch who called herself Professor McGonagoll speak, a haughty blonde boy eyed him over, and said out loud to his friends, "So, the rumors are true: Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy. You will soon find out other wizarding families are better than other's. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Draco stuck out his hand, and Harry Potter shook it. Harry went to stand by Draco Malfoy, and Ron Weasley looked really forlorn for some stupid reason.

Draco acted more polite to him, and as McGonagoll explained about the four school Houses, Draco whispered, "My family's been in Slytherin for centuries. It would be like awesome if you get sorted with me. I'm totally gonna get it, my father all but assured me."

Harry shrugged, and quipped, "Professor Snape told me that my dad and mum were Gryffindors, but if they were like brave and stuff, why are they dead?"

Crabbe and Goyle, Draco's two fat, beefy friends tittered, but Draco rounded on them angrily, "Hey! It's _not_ funny. Good point, Harry. They didn't choose the right side, that's why. If they did, they'd probably still be here. But that's cool that Snape showed you the ropes, and stuff. Just um, he's a mean git during school, alright, and I would know, I'm his god son. So, don't take it like personally if he's a bit of an asshole to you."

Harry felt better about that, and smiled. Hermione caught up with them, and she began chatting away about the history of the castle. When Harry's name was called, the entire Great Hall fell into complete silence, and it was in that one decision of the sorting hat that would determine the fate of Harry Potter for the whole of his school year...


	8. The Sorting Ceremony

Harry

The black haired, glasses wearing wizard felt really put on the spot. Why the hell was everyone freaking _staring_ at him?! Did his pants just come off and they were staring at his dick or something? The stern faced older witch who explained the school House rules to everyone, flashed him an encouraging smile, and gestured for him to sit on the stool three feet in front of the teacher's table. 

An old brown leather pointed hat was placed on his hat. The hat began to speak in a gruff British voice, and said thoughtfully, "Difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage and strength I see in you. Not a bad mind either, but where to put you...But I see greatness in you, oh yes, and Slytherin will open those doors for you, oh yes."

"I don't care where you place me, honestly," Harry found himself confessing. "Snape was a Slytherin and he's pretty bad ass."

"Ah, yes, then it better be...SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting hat declared in ringing tones. The Slytherin table cheered him on, and Draco Malfoy especially was smiling, and clapping hard.

Harry took a beeline straight to Draco, and Draco shouted to his two burly friends, "Make some room for my friend, for bloody sake!"

Immediately, Crabbe and Goyle moved out of his way, and Harry sat down. 

Hermione Granger, the cute, bossy witch he met briefly on the train was sorted into Ravenclaw. Ron Weasley was sorted into Hufflepuff, much to the great disappointment of many ginger haired kids at the Gryffindor table. Harry could only assume that Ron was their younger brother. A really cute witch with hair as blonde as Draco was sorted into Ravenclaw, and Harry asked him, "Who was that? She was pretty."

Draco glanced at the girl in question, and giggled, "Oh, that's Luna Lovegood. She's a pureblood, but her dad's become as crazy as a loon since his wife's death. It's a real shame, she _is_ pretty cute."

When the last student from the train was sorted into their school Houses, the Headmaster of Hogwarts mounted the stage, and Harry felt an ache in his lightning scar. _Weird! Who is this guy?_ Dumbledore was dressed in flowing crimson and gold robes, and a stereotypical wizard beard and long, flowing white hair. Half moon spectacles were perched on the end of his thin, aquiline nose. His nails were these ugly long, claw looking things, and his fingers were spotted with age spots and black ink spots. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts, students," Dumbledore said in a kind voice, but Harry felt like there was something not quite right about this man, and it was all because he had had to deal with his crazy, abusive Uncle beforehand. "Now that we are all sorted into our proper Houses, I would like to remind you all that the third floor corridor is off limits to all students to all those who do not wish to suffer a most painful death. 

"Also, the Forbidden Forest just on the outskirts of the school grounds is also off limits to students. Mr. Flilch, our caretaker, has once again asked me to inform all of you that any student he catches after hours will suffer a most...unpleasant detention, and all Zonko's joke products are grounds for immediate confiscation and House points taken away. Now, without further ado, enjoy the feast!" 

Rich, succulent food such as Harry had never seen before appeared on the table. Draco and his friends began chowing down, but Harry felt a little afraid that he would be struck for reaching for the chicken, or the vegetables. When he realized that that wasn't going to happen, he ate, but ate very little; the food was much more rich than the bland gruel he was used to. 

When dinner was over, Harry followed the group of Slytherins down to the dungeons, but before he descended the steep stone steps, he caught Hermione Granger's eye, and she smiled at him encouragingly. For some reason, that made Harry feel better for being sorted in Slytherin instead of her House. 

He followed the group down the creepy dungeons, and Professor Snape stood before them, his arms crossed across his chest, and looking very intimidating. 

"Welcome to Slytherin House," Snape said in his dark baritone, "You are part of the elite, the proud, and the accomplished. None of you are here by mere happenstance or chance, and from this moment forward, you are to look out for your own best interests, but also for each other. Now, for those of you who do not know me, I am Professor Snape, your Head of House, and any reflection of poor behavior, or inability to follow the rules will result in immediate dire consequences. Are we all in accord?"

"Yes, Professor Snape," The Slytherins chorused. Harry felt a swelling of pride and admiration for this wizard that put Uncle Vernon in his place: below a Slytherin's feet like the vermin he truly was. 

Professor Snape nodded, and said, "Prefect, continue with the orientation."

"Yes, Professor," The Prefect, a bulky sixth year Slytherin Harry didn't know his name, murmured. The Prefect gave the password to the imposing portrait of Salazar Slytherin, (timeliness), and everyone slipped in.

Harry's mouth dropped, and even Draco Malfoy looked impressed. The entire common room looked like a spacious, darkly elegant medieval Lord's room. Serpentine columns and beautiful marble sculptures of famous witches and wizards who were known for their great power, and parseltongue abilities. Along one wall, one had an impressive view of the black lake, and occasionally some lake creature or fish would swim by their aquarium window. The sound of the lake was soothing, and so was the crackle of flames in the fireplace. 

"My dad told me we get our own rooms!" Draco said excitedly, "Both boys and girls get the star treatment here, and none of the other Houses get this perk. This is going to be so cool."

Harry laughed, "You act like you're getting your dad's room."

Draco shrugged, "I know I am, dork. Just you wait, dad told me that we get one of those jet tubs like in resorts."

Harry didn't quite believe his arrogant friend, but when he saw his own room, he started to understand Snape's disdain for 'sickening bribery,' as he phrased it. It wasn't just a bedroom, but it felt like a whole apartment flat, a very luxurious one. The bathroom was all dark green marble, and he had no idea what to do with this much space that would be his for seven years! 

Harry heard a knock on his room, and he answered it. 

Draco ran in, and looked at everything, excited, "Wow, Potter! Your room is awesome just like mine. Come and see! My bathroom has all black marble in it."

Harry ran in Draco's room, and they jumped on each other's beds, and giggled as they both knocked each other off the bed with their fluffy pillows. From that moment on, they became best friends, and partners in crime in school and beyond, and it was Harry Potter's first baby steps on his road of recovery...


	9. The Problem With Weasels

Harry

After three months of keeping his ear to the ground, Harry Potter and his friends Draco, Pansy, Blaise, and the Greengrass sisters were beginning to be bullied by the idiotic Weasleys. Why? Well, it all went back to the Ministry of Magic, and the fact that whenever the Weasley Patriarch Arthur was due for a promotion, Lucius Malfoy was a key force in making it his personal mission to destroy the family financially, according to the Weasleys. Harry didn't learn this until much later, of course, but at this moment of time, all the young eleven year old wizard knew was that the Weasleys, or 'Weasels,' as the Slytherins called them behind their backs, were major dicks to practically anyone who wore a snake badge. 

Harry knew that if Crabbe and Goyle weren't around, both him and Draco would have had their asses beat by Ron, George, or any of the other Weasleys. But it seemed to come to a head when they had their first flying lesson with Madame Hooch, the Quidditch coach. She seemed to be a tough old bird, with gray spiky hair, and one gray eye, and one dark brown, almost black. She had thin lips, and seemed to carry herself with a strange sort of masculine confidence. 

The courtyard was huge, and pretty, with the sun shining high upon them just shortly after breakfast. The kids rushed to the Quidditch broom closet, and the Weasley twins, and Ron shoved Harry out of the way, grabbing a broom. 

"That broom was _mine_ , Georgie Porgie," Harry mocked. "Give it back!"

The larger third year boy shoved him into the grass, and Draco stepped forward. "Give his broom back... _Weasel_!" Draco snarled. "He had that Nimbus 2000 fair and square."

George chuckled, and his twin stepped forward. "That so, Draky? What are ya gonna do? Kiss your boyfriend to make his boo boos go bye bye?"

Draco sneered, "No, Weasel. Unlike you, and poof boy over here, I actually _like_ girls. I'm not having a go with my brother under the sheets to 'experiment,' is how I think your brother Ron put it. Oh yeah, I've heard he gets in on it too. And with that sister-"

George's fist connected with Draco's jaw, and that was the first time that Harry Potter felt real rage steal over him: it was one thing to be abused by your muggle Uncle, it was quite another to allow your friends to be beaten up. 

Harry turned on George and dove for his legs, and pummeled the older boy with his fists once he had the boy on his back. His knuckles connected with George's nose, because he heard an audible snap in the boy's cartilage as blood spurted from his broken nose. 

His twin, Fred, and Ron tried to jump in to assist their brother, but Hermione Granger shouted something. Then she rose her voice: "ENOUGH! MADAME HOOCH IS COMING THIS WAY!"

Fred shoved Hermione out of his way, and stumbled and fell into Harry's arms. Both of them were knocked over with him landing on top of her. He looked down at the amber eyed witch, and he felt...a fierce instinct to protect her. 

  
They were both blushing, and he stammered, "I...I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall on you."

Hermione tucked a lock of his dark hair behind his ear, and smiled awkwardly, "It's okay. And don't worry about Ron and them, they're jerks. My friend Cho seems to like Cedric Diggory, and he pals around with the Gryffindors, so....yeah, that's that."

She helped him up, and she picked up his glasses, and repaired them magically.

"Yeah, I guess that's that," Harry said, reluctantly letting go of her hand. She was...beautiful, there was no better word for it, really. "Thanks for my glasses, I really need to remember that spell."

Hermione blushed, and shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly, "You're welcome, Harry. You know, you're really nice for a Slytherin."

"And you're really," _Pretty...Angelic...Pick a word, any word, dumbass,_ "...Nice for a Ravenclaw. Soo, I'll see you around right? Maybe we can hang out some time?"

Color flooded the Ravenclaw witch's cheeks, and she nodded, "Yeah, okay. I'll send you an owl, I guess. Soo..."

She was about to say something else when Madame Hooch stormed up to them, and demanded to know who started the fight. She had missed half of the class, because Neville Longbottom broke his wrist because his broom took off on him, and he crashed it into the castle wall, and fell off his broom.

Madame Hooch sighed, "As far as I am concerned, _all_ of you are guilty! Fifty points from each of your Houses, and detention! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Madame Hooch," The kids chorused.

The flying lesson became quite boring after that, but when Harry got an owl post from Hermione, the glasses wearing wizard was overjoyed. She only asked if he would have lunch with her by the black lake, since it was the last week before their first holiday break. But to Harry, she might as well have asked him out. He sent a brief reply that yes, he would definitely join her on her picnic. Afterwards, he got ready for bed and slept as the sound of the black lake soothed him into a restful sleep...


	10. A Frosty Picnic

Hermione

The Ravenclaw witch put her winter school cloak on with trembling fingers. She couldn't believe that she had worked up enough courage to have lunch with Harry Potter alone! Luna smiled at her when she was gathering up her things for her afternoon classes.

"Have fun with Harry," Luna said happily, "And watch out for nargles, you don't want them getting in your brain and making it go all fuzzy when you talk with him."

Hermione laughed, "Um, thanks, I guess. I don't think that's how it works in crushes, but we'll see. Maybe he will ask me out, you never know."

Luna hugged her, and said, "I think he will, in time. If not, I'm always around."

Luna then did something unexpected and unusual for her: she kissed her cheek. Hermione blushed, "Uh..uh thanks, Luna."

"Don't mention it. I gotta go, all the plants are waiting!" She exclaimed, and skipped out of the dorm room. Hermione didn't know what to think about Luna kissing her cheek, but she didn't mind it either, she discovered.

She breezed through potions and charms, and when the lunch bell rang, she found Harry Potter chatting away with his friends Draco, Pansy, and Blaise.

Pansy sneered when she approached them. "Ugh, it's the mudblood. What do you _want_ , mudblood? Have you come to spy for the Weasels, is that it?"

Hermione's face reddened at that, and she wanted to punch Pansy Parkinson out, but refrained, the witch wasn't worth the detention she was already serving because of the Weasleys.

"No, I simply wanted to ask if Harry is free for lunch, and--"

Pansy tossed her black hair, and scoffed, "Whatever, Granger! Why would anyone want to spend--"

"That's _enough_ , Pans," Harry said, stepping forward, "I did agree to have lunch with her."

Draco whispered something in Harry's ear, and Harry shook his head. Draco scowled, "Fine, but if she's a damn spy for the lions, I'll be the first one to say 'I told you so.' "

Harry smirked, "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Are you still trying out for Quidditch this year, Drake?"

Draco grinned, "Yep, and dad would want you to try out too. Keeper or Seeker would be a good fit for either of us, he said, remember?"

"Yeah, it sounds great," Harry said, "I'll catch you guys later, alright?"

Harry approached her, and said, "Sorry about that, but you know how it is. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

They headed outside, and found a nice spot under the one weeping willow, and she cast warming charms around them. She set up the blanket, while Harry busied himself with setting out the pumpkin juice and sandwiches and chips.

She kept glancing over at the famous wizard and felt completely flustered. Harry looked nervous as well, and so the two magical children are their lunch in silence for a while. Technically, she was a year older, because she received her Hogwarts letter a year late, but a year between them didn't make that much of a difference, because she still felt shy around him.

"Are your classes going alright?" She asked lamely, "I mean, I've tried to get Ron to not bother you, but he seems to hate everything Slytherin, and I told him that he was being stupid and ignorant, and wants to hate on your whole House because of the Malfoys."

Harry sipped his pumpkin juice, and swallowed, "What's the Malfoys got to do with the Weasleys? I mean, they're rich, I get that, but they've been super supportive of me ever since I was sorted into Slytherin. Draco is a bit of a snob, but he's actually cool and smart, I don't see what the big deal is, honestly, Hermione."

She knew that she wouldn't be able to appeal to his logical side here, the whole school knew that Draco and Harry were like brothers almost. She had to do the Ravenclaw method and resort to facts, instead:

"Well, according to Mr. Weasley," Hermione said carefully, "The Malfoys have hated their family for years, because of some centuries old rivalry where the two families tried to arrange marriages between them, and the Weasley family rejecting the Malfoys.

"Ever since then, the Weasleys have never exactly been well liked in the wizarding world, because they don't live like pureblood wizards and witches, and hate people like me who were born into muggle family's. They are called blood traitors, and so Mr. Malfoy has made it his life's mission to destroy the family financially."

Harry listened to all of this, and narrowed his eyes at her. His face became very cold, and he snapped, "I think Mr. Malfoy has better things to do than destroy the life of one wizarding family. If Arthur Weasley doesn't want to apply himself in the Ministry of Magic, it's entirely his own damn fault. Mr. Malfoy told me that the Ministry can be quite cutthroat, and he said that ambition is not a 'immoral defect,' as _some_ wizards call it. Perhaps Mrs. Weasley should stop spreading her legs and get a fucking job, instead of spew out more mouths to feed than one wizard can provide for. Also, I'm fairly certain that the older kids are able to work, so dumping the blame on Lucius Malfoy sounds pretty childish, Hermione."

Harry grabbed his school things, and she felt like an utter failure. She begged for him to turn around, and that she was sorry, but to no avail.

_Great going there, 'Mione, trying to appeal to his kindness_ , She thought, _Draco Malfoy is like his brother. I'm sorry, Ron, I tried to get Harry to be your friend, I really did._

She ran into Ron Weasley on her way into history of magic, and he asked nervously," So, um, did you tell Harry I was sorry and I want to be friends?"

_Really, Ron? Are you for real right now?_ "Yes, I did tell him," She said, half-truthfully, "But I also told him why he's being bullied by you and your brothers for no good reason. And for the record, Harry is _not_ like the other Slytherins, so next time, don't judge a book by its cover."

She tried to push past him to go into her class, but he grabbed her arm. "Yes, he _is_ , 'Mione. All bad wizards and witches come from Slytherin, and that's all you need to know."

She wrenched her arm out of his grasp, and slapped him, hard. "Stay away from me, jerk! You don't know what you're talking about. Now, I'm going to class, or do I need to talk to Professor Sprout about all of those times I saved your butt from getting expelled, because you can't stop stuffing your face?"

Ron looked like she had poured cold water on him, and she didn't care. She pushed past him, knocking his shoulder back hard. She barely made it on time to Professor Binn's class, and for once, she chose a seat in the back so no one would notice how horrible she no doubt looked.

Like any good Ravenclaw, she buried herself in her studies, and decided to only hang out with people of her own House from now on. Who needed House unity any way? That was for the birds. But such a stance did not matter to her heart, because she felt like such a failure when it came to Harry Potter, and she had no idea how she was going to turn it around in her favor, especially if she was going to tell him that she liked him any time soon. But little did she know just how much she would need Harry Potter before the year was out...


	11. Troll In The Bathroom

Harry

The detentions from the teachers, save Professor Snape, of course, got worse. Draco, Blaise, and Ted liked to start mischief with the Gryffindors, particularly the Weasleys, but the only problem with that was when Harry received a detention, he ended up suffering a torture curse opening up his back. The punishment was medieval in origin, he knew, from History of Magic, but it should have been outlawed as a means of corporeal punishment for students. 

Filch, the grizzled old squib caretaker of Hogwarts, loved whipping Harry with a good old fashioned buggy whip. Each lash hurt, and opened up the flesh of his back even more, but he barely felt it, because he was thinking of the day his father figure Snape put the Dursleys in their place. 

The beating ceased, and Filch was breathing heavily. "Well, there's your lashes, boy," He grunted, "I must say y' sure take em' like a man. Too bad I can't use em' on no one else. Alas. Well, off you get, boy, y' mustn't keep them brats y'hang out with any longer."

Harry was just coming out of Filch's filthy, tiny office when he heard a scream coming from the third floor girl's bathroom. Draco heard the noise as well, because he paused in the hallway as he was just coming to find him. They wordlessly ran in the direction of the sound, wands out. 

"What the fuck?" Draco whispered, his gray eyes wide.

"Hermione's in there."  
"I'm not risking my neck for a mudblood," Draco scoffed.

"Fuck you, man," Harry growled, "She's my _friend_. I'm going in there, and I'm going to do the right thing. You do whatever floats your boat."

Harry ran, and Draco followed him. The mountain troll was huge, far taller and bigger than the two young wizards originally thought, or planned for. The bathroom around them was trashed, and Hermione was screaming as she tried to duck under the toilets.

"Incarcerous!" Harry cast with his wand. Ropes flew out of his wand, and Draco froze the troll with the petrificus totalus charm. But the troll broke free of the ropes. 

Professor Snape appeared just as Draco was grabbed. "Langlock!" The Professor shouted.

The troll's mouth fused together, and dropped Draco in its fear. "Arresto momentum!"

Draco's body stopped a foot from the dusty floor, and the spell released him. Draco cowered under the bathroom stalls with Hermione as the troll roared and came at first him, then Snape. 

Snape fired curse after curse at the troll. But Harry was the one who struck the killing blow by unknowingly using wordless magic on the troll. A hole as big as a bullet hole formed in the troll's heart, and it fell forward, dead. Snape rolled out of the way just in time, but Harry was not so lucky. His left leg was crushed, and he heard a sickening crunched as his shin broke in six places. Harry screamed, and he knew no more until he woke up in the hospital ward...

✂-------

Severus

He heard Harry's leg break when it happened, but he couldn't get to him in time. Tom needed to hear about this latest attempt of the Dark Lord to kill Harry Potter. Dumbledore had gone too far when he put the entire school at risk like this. 

Then the Dark Lady showed up, but of course, the old bitch couldn't reveal her true nature in front of the students. Her green eyes flashed disdain on him. He glared back at McGonagoll, and said mentally, " _Stay out of my head, bitch. You might see something you would want to unsee."_

She immediately tried to read his mind. Minerva McGonagoll--Dumbledore may have been skilled in transfiguration, but she was no legilimens. Thank the gods.

She feigned worry for her students, and it was somewhat impressive that the insufferable know it all herself lied so smoothly. She crumbled under his gaze. _Good, fear me, girl. I'm not one to tango with._

"Well, be that is as it may, Miss. Granger," McGonagoll said, feigning worry, "What you did was extremely irresponsible and ill advised. Five points from Ravenclaw for your recklessness. Ten points each from Slytherin for your extreme foolhardy behavior. However, I shall award five points to each of you for sheer dumb luck."

She turned and left the bathroom. "Bitch," He murmured under his breath.

Draco apparently heard him, and he scowled, "Mr. Malfoy, escort Miss. Granger to Ravenclaw tower, and return to your common room, and _stay_ there."

"Wait," Miss. Granger kissed Harry on the lips, and repaired his round glasses before putting them back on his face. "There, that's better. I'm not kissing either of you, but thank you, Professor."

"Oh, be still my beating heart," He quipped. "Your gratitude is not required Miss. Granger."

"Aw, I think Granger's hot for teacher," Draco teased. "But I'm willing to give you a big ole kissy wissy."

Hermione shoved him off of her, "Eww! Get off, perv. Rape is a crime."

Severus cracked a smile at that one, and lifted the troll off of Harry long enough to bridal carry him in his arms. 

"Go, Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Granger," He ordered, and swept out of the room. Madame Pomfrey fussed over her patient, and asked, "Did this boy really stand up to the troll?"

"Yes, he did," He said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a previous engagement that I am already late for."

He ruffled Potter's hair, and sighed. It was a shame that Potter was not his son, fatherhood would have been the one thing keeping him from becoming a deatheater to begin with. He hurried to Dumbledore's office, and dreaded what news he would have to tell Tom Riddle at the next annual Order of Serpens meeting; nor did he look forward to suffering more torture curses for his supposed 'inadequacies.' But he had a meeting to get through, and he would weather these things as he has done for years. They just had to wait for the right moment to strike, and strike they would, or lose the war for good...


	12. The Latest Report

Tom

I felt rage such as I had never felt towards the old monster. Severus's tale of the Dark Lord beating Harry Potter unsettled me. I should have adopted the kid, or allowed Severus to have the honor, but I had never dreamed that the boy's abuse would follow him to Hogwarts. Still, I couldn't very well pull him out of Hogwarts and transfer him to another wizarding school. No, I needed him there at Hogwarts.

Karkaroff looked disturbed, and said, "I could easily transfer the lad to Durmstrang. You say that he was sorted into Slytherin? Well, he would fit right in at my school."

"No, Igor," I argued, "I cannot just transfer Harry. Severus is right. If we transfer him to Durmstrang, the Dark Lord will know something is very suspicious. Remember, the wizarding world believes _us_ to be the villains. We all agreed to keep working in the shadows until Dumbledore is brought down. Remember when Grindlewald came out of the Imperius Curse? He was put into Azkaban on trumped up charges."

"But didn't his wife Queenie try to free him by appealing to the wizengamot personally?" Bellatrix asked curiously. "My mother knew her, and she said that her best friend was one of the bravest witches she had the honor of knowing."

I smiled at my wife, and nodded, "Yes, I had heard that. But as he is likely insane from the damned dementors, there is no way of breaking him out of there without bringing negative attention on ourselves."

Some of the panel tried to draw up elaborate plans to spring one of Azkaban's highest profile prisoners out of the creepy prison. But we couldn't risk it, things were precarious enough as it was with Dumbledore's followers in the majority.

Yaxley raised his hand. "My Lord, Grindlewald knows the Dark Lord the best. They are blood brothers. Could we not try to at least visit him? I could fudge the documents on the Ministry side to grant someone entrance."

I began to pace about the dining room that Lucius Malfoy made into a meeting room for The Order of Serpens.

"We cannot risk it," Severus said in his Professor voice, "Even if Gellert Grindlewald were as sane as any of us present, breaking him out of Azkaban to support our cause would not only be reckless, but foolish and irresponsible in the extreme. You would risk being clapped in chains yourself, and forced to live in bondage for the rest of your life, and being we are magical, that would be for a _very_ long time."

Karkaroff and others were nodding their heads in agreement. "I don't like it myself," Karkaroff grunted, "Azkaban is a hell hole in every sense of the word. I'll spare you the horrors of that place, but it is the grimnest place imaginable, and what daylight you do see is very few and far between."

"Then I could go and visit him," Bellatrix volunteered. "Who would suspect a woman? Most of you are known on sight, especially you, darling," She winked at me, "But me? I'm merely a pureblood witch who can go disguised as Queenie. My mother still had some hairs of hers in a scrapbook. Can't hair still be used after a witch or wizard has died for polyjuice potion, Severus?"

Severus looked disturbed by this turn of events. "Yes, they can. Hair does not age, unlike the subject it was taken from."

Bellatrix smiled triumphantly. "Excellent, then I will go brew it right now."

She went to leave from the table, but I held her back. "Bella, no, we agreed that you wouldn't involve yourself in this."

She wrenched her arm out of my grip, angry that I would touch her in such a way. "Tom, they're abusing the poor boy! If you're not going to do something about it, I will. And neither of you will stop me. Not even you, Cissa."

Narcissa Malfoy nodded primly, "For once, I agree with you, sister. I won't stop you as a mother, but Draco is at risk too. It is known that my son is best friends with Harry Potter. If he were to mysteriously disappear, well, then my son will be at risk as well. I just want you to think about it, Bella."

Bellatrix wouldn't hear of it, and she got that stubborn, determined look in her eye that felt like a dead weight in my heart: she was committed to this suicide mission, and no one could tell her any differently that she was wrong. The meeting turned to lesser important topics like recruitment and the like, but privately I really wanted to dissuade my wife from risking herself like this.

Privately, Severus shared a glass of firewhisky with me, and said, "There is no convincing her when she gets like this, you know that, Tom."

I nodded, saddened even more. "I know. I just hope that she knows what she is doing. I will return now to Hogwars to watch out for the boy."

I shook my friend's hand in lieu of a hug. I knew that he would be uncomfortable with it, and he wouldn't accept it in any case. Severus nodded, understanding my inner thoughts; it certainly helped to be a legilimens when your best friend from school was such a closed off sort of person otherwise.

Severus left the mansion via the floo network, and Lucius Malfoy said, "We did try, Tom. Severus will protect that boy with his very life if it comes down to it, I know he would."

"That's what I'm afraid of," I commented, my heart still feeling heavy. "Do what you can to oust Dumbledore from his position of Headmaster, won't you?"

A knowing smile flashed across the blonde wizard's handsome face, "Oh, I'll think of something. Just give me time."

"That's in short supply, but it's the only option left to us," I said, resigned. Lucius left me then, and I tried one last time to reason with Bellatrix, but she would not be moved from her decision. I had to live with that, and prepare for every eventuality in this war.

When Bellatrix was ready to leave, we parted with no tears, but shared a passionate kiss that revealed our deepest feelings for one another that words could never hope to convey. When she disapparated, I had the sinking suspicion that when I saw her again, she would never be the same again...


	13. Appealing To The Queen

Bellatrix

St. Mungos. How she hated coming to visit her mother during her waning so called twilight years. When the dark haired, black eyed pureblood witch apparated to the visitors entrance at St. Mungos Hospital, she knew that convincing Queenie Grindlewald was going to be quite difficult. She had been told that the witch had been quirky in her youth, but formidable in her legilimency abilities.

She had also been quite the fashionista in her time, but now she was like the other elderly witches in this hospital: old and forgotten by her loved ones. But in her case, it was not forgetfulness but the fact that her infamous husband was in Azkaban, and no one cared about his loyal wife who waited years for him to get out. 

Bellatrix shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat, and strolled up to the hospital. The inside of the hospital was dark, and foreboding inside, but sterile, and smelled of sickness and decay. She hated the place to her core.

The receptionist desk had three witches in white lab coats, and wore tight buns that seemed to be plastered to their skulls. One of them popped their heads up, and said in a bored voice, "Sign in, please, and submit your wand for identification."

Bellatrix signed in, signing Bellatrix Riddle. She submitted her wand, and it was looked over briefly before it was handed back to her. "Which patient do you wish to see today, Madame Riddle?"

"Madame Queenie Grindlewald," Bellatrix stated. The three receptionists stared open mouthed at her, and looked terrified.

"M--Madame...G-Grindlewald?"  
"Yes." Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, and flashed them her most formidable glare. "Is that going to be a problem?"

The three witches trembled with fear now, and stammered, "N-No, not at all, b-but she's not stable...a-and not the most sane."

Bellatrix sighed. She knew they were lying, but decided to play along for now. "Fine, she's crazy. I get it. Listen, I don't give a fuck what drugs you have Mrs. Grindlewald hyped up on, I am going to go in there and see her. Or do I have to use force in order to see her?"

"No, Madame Riddle," One of them said, "That won't be necessary. But don't be surprised if she tries to harm you...she is quite violent at times."

Bellatrix chuckled, smiling sardonically, "I can be violent as well. Now, kindly escort me to her room. _Now_."

A guard appeared, and Bellatrix glared at these sheep. She was led to the lower levels where the more unstable, dangerous patients were kept. They reached one of the most secure doors, and the guard unlocked the door, looking at her in silent appeal for her not to enter the domain of the crazy witch. Bellatrix shook her head, and the bald black wizard let her into the room.

The room was cold, sterile, and black inside. Queenie Goldstein-- Grindlewald, once a beautiful fashionista in her own right, sat in a worn burgundy rocking chair in a seemingly catatonic state. 

Bellatrix took stock of Madame Grindlewald's wrinkled, disheveled sleep clothes, and how her green amber eyes stared ahead to nothing. Despite her age, Bellatrix could see how beautiful the witch used to be, and how a wizard like Gellert Grindlewald would fall for someone like her. She picked up a chair and placed it in front of the older witch, and said, "Madame Grindlewald, my name is Bellatrix Riddle, and I--"

"Need my help," The older witch rasped, fixing her gaze upon her. Bellatrix felt the older witch invade her mind, and she tried to block her, but she was too powerful. Bellatrix cried and twitched as Queenie Grindlewald tortured her as she flipped through her memories from birth to the present day. 

When Queenie released her, Bellatrix shivered, and felt true fear of this woman. Queenie Grindlewald laughed as if hearing a funny joke. "Sit, Bellatrix. I had to see if you were going to be a threat to me or my husband."

Bellatrix panted, and sat in her chair on shaky legs. "I came to see if you would help The Order of Serpens bring down the Dark Lord, my lady."

Queenie laughed, and pulled out a cigarette pipe, and smoked like the flapper she was in her youth. "Ah. The Order of Serpens. What a...quaint name. You amuse me, pureblood. I fail to see how you will be able to break Gellert out of Azkaban. I have been told that he is insane from the dementors."

Bellatrix nodded. "Yes, but, if he still has his powers, he could be the one wizard that could stand against Albus Dumbledore."

Queenie smoked, and tapped her ashes into a silver ashtray. "He could. He saw much as a seer. He foresaw the second muggle world war, and the devastation they would cause. But my poor Gellert failed, dollface. The bastard used his friendship with my husband to play on his emotions to defeat him during their famous duel."

"We need his help, Queenie," Bellatrix pressed. "The Dark Lord is growing too powerful for us to control, and about Harry Potter-"

"Ah yes, the prophecy," Queenie snuffed out her cigarette, and tucked away her pipe in her dark blue robe. "The boy is merely bait. I would suggest playing on the Dark Lord's emotions regarding him. But he needs to be removed from his care. Who is the handsome legilimens I saw in your mind, dollface?"

Bellatrix grinned, mildly surprised, "Severus Snape?? He would not consider himself so good-looking."

"Of course not. He is humble. And yet he is," Queenie said. "It is a pity he did not accompany you. Now, what you will need is my hair to visit Gellert...unless you wish to spring me from this prison."

"The employees think you dangerous," Bellatrix admitted. 

"Oh, I am. But if there is a chance that I can live freely, I will help you," Queenie said, rising. She flicked her wand, and packed her personal effects into a small black beaded bag, and changed into a black power suit, and black Manolo Blanoniks. 

Bellatrix pulled out her wand and readied herself for battle. She used the allohomora charm, but it was more heavily warded than that.

Queenie rolled her eyes, "Step aside, dollface. Bombarda Maximo!" She cast with her wand.

The guard tried to fire curses at them, but the two witches were too powerful. More guards flanked them, but the two witches fired off their spells against them, shielding each other as they pushed through the hospital. 

One of the orderlies tried to grab for Queenie, but Bellatrix hexed the man to see maggots crawling on him. They ran outside, and made it to the apparation point, but a scarring curse hit Queenie, and Bellatrix had to grab her before she got splinched. They arrived at Malfoy Manor, and Lucius Malfoy ran up to them, picking up Madame Grindlewald bridal style. They went inside, and attended to the ailing witch, and prayed that she made it through before it was too late...


	14. Formulating Plans

Bellatrix

Two Weeks Later...

Queenie Grindlewald barely survived her wounds from the torture curse inflicted on her from some random guard as they were escaping St. Mungos. Bellatrix relayed what had happened, and Severus Snape lifted an eyebrow at the flattering comment the elder witch had made of him.

"I should have accompanied you, Bellatrix," Severus remarked dryly. "Legilimens tend to have this inner language that only we can speak to one another."

Bellatrix looked down upon the ailing witch. "You would have sided with Tom if I had informed you of what I had planned...what I still plan on doing. How is the Potter boy doing at Hogwarts?"

Lucius sighed, "The Dark Lord is still having that decrepit squib caretaker beat him for any little infraction, no matter how slim."

"Queenie told me to remove him from Hogwarts," She suggested. "I still do not agree with him remaining under the old bastard's thumb like this. Such abuse is not good for the boy."

"We cannot risk it, sissy," Narcissa reminded her sister. "As a mother, I know it's hard but..."

"But nothing!" Bellatrix rounded on her fellow Serpens members. "If a former dark wizard can destroy Dumbledore, I am more than willing to risk imprisonment myself to free him."

Narcissa shook her head, "But think of your own children, Bella. They need their mother. What will they do if you are carted off to Azkaban and you are no longer there to raise them? Would you truly have your husband be their only available parent?"

She knew that her sister spoke nothing but the truth, but in this she would not be moved from her mission. She had a maternal responsibility to Harry Potter and she would not fail him. 

"I have to do this," Bellatrix reasoned. 

Queenie Grindlewald opened her eyes, and nodded, clearing her throat, "And I'm going to help in any way I can, dollface." She eyed everyone in the room, and nodded to Severus Snape, "Ah, the legilimens potions master. Come here, boy. I would see you closer."

Severus moved closer to the bed, and Bellatrix watched as the two legilimens interacted silently. Tears ran down the older witch's face as she patted Snape's hand and said, "...Do not ever claim that you are unworthy to be loved, boy. The right witch will come along, I am certain of it."

Severus scoffed, "You speak as a seer, madam. Trust me, no witch wants my baggage. Believe me, I have tried."

Queenie rolled her eyes, "Uh huh, a red haired bitch who scorned you at Hogwarts does _not_ count, Severus. I speak of someone worthy of you, someone who can keep up with your keen mind, and kinky sensibilities. Just one piece of advice: don't be such a cold asshole to her. No witch deserves that. But I was right, Bella, I may be old, but I still have an eye for a handsome wizard."

Severus flashed Queenie a ghost of a smile, "Your words are kind, but I am far from good looking."

"Poppycock, I say. You will understand once you meet the right witch," Queenie predicted. "And I'm not being kind, I'm just speaking the truth as I see it."

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, and said some things to Queenie, but she wouldn't say much else.

When everyone else left the room, Bellatrix sat beside the old witch's bed, and asked, "So, when do we work on breaking Gellert out of jail?"

Queenie Grindlewald laughed, "Right now, doll. Right now, but if you don't get out, I am not responsible. I can only guide you from here since I'm too old for this nonsense, and that damned torture curse left me fairly weak."

Bellatrix nodded, understanding, "So, what exactly should I know?"

Queenie nodded, and began to detail a plan that would, in theory work, but which would require stealth and speed. When the old witch was done explaining her plans, Bellatrix went over it one more time:

Sign in, get searched for weapons, get escorted to Grindlewald's cell, and hope like hell she had a damned good patronus to combat the toughest dementors in the upper levels of Azkaban prison once Grindlewald was with her. Of course, this was all encombent on him being not only sane, but alive as well. It was a huge risk, and very, very dangerous. But sometimes, just sometimes, life was worth a little bit of risk.

For without risk, it really wasn't worth living, now was it? Bellatrix didn't believe that to be the case; so when she went to sleep in Malfoy Manor for the very last time, she had no way of knowing whether she would return in one piece, or if she would be alive by the end of this war. But in the end, she would do whatever was be necessary for the greater good, because anything else would be foolhardy, indeed...


	15. Prison Break

Bellatrix

Three Days Later...

  
Queenie Grindlewald was sufficiently healed up by the time Bellatrix was ready to leave Malfoy Manor. When she went to the old witch's guest bedroom, she greeted her warmly.

"This home reminds me of the one Gellert and I had by the sea," Queenie said, looking out her window that overlooked the gardens. "Oh, how we debated about where we would live once we married. I said that I liked New York City. He said the ocean in the countryside. We compromised on two homes, one off the Irish coast, the other on Park Avenue in New York City. When we both got convicted by the damn aurors in the states, Val and Pierce, our two eldest kids got the Park Avenue place, and Ariana got the beach mansion. You're wondering why I'm bothering to prattle on like this. Go on and say it, you're as tight-lipped as my dyke sister Tina."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Bellatrix asked.

"To remind my husband of me," Queenie replied bluntly. "Of something of our life together. Now, go. Oh, and give him this if you can."

Queenie handed her a letter, and she pocketed it in her robes. She then hugged Bellatrix, and they parted ways. Tom met her at the bottom of the stairs, and he said, "Bella, please don't do this. I have a terrible feeling that things won't go as you expect."

He tried to prevent her from going, but she wrenched out of his arms. "Get off me, Tom," She snarled. "If you can't understand why I'm doing this, then you don't know me at all. I love you."

Severus nodded his head, understanding, and Lucius as well. They were the only ones who seemed to understand. Well, screw her husband! If he didn't understand, then there really was no point in belaboring the issue, now wasn't there? Of course, there wasn't.

She left Malfoy Manor, and when she did, little did she know that when she did, it would be her last act as a sane, rational witch...

✂-----

When she disapparated, and apparated again at the lonely, bleak island where the wizarding prison stood, Bellatrix began to have a few brief second thoughts. But these vanished when the Azkaban guards accosted her at the imposing black rod iron gates that prevented disapparating once you ventured through them.

She was searched, and she showed her wand for identification. When she gave the excuse that she was doing a project on interviewing famous dark wizards for The Daily Prophet, they waved her through. The dementors eyed her suspiciously as she walked down the barely lit corridors of the prison. Some of the prisoners were screaming blood curdling screams, and others were being tortured in various ways for information.

Three aurors went with her on the elevator up to the highest level where the most high profile prisoners were kept. It was where Albus Dumbledore, and that bitch of his Minerva McGonagoll belonged, not Gellert Grindlewald, in her opinion.

The locks were unlocked, and she was all but shoved inside. Grindlewald was sitting by the light of a single candle in his filthy prison scrubs reading a book on dark magic.

He sniffed the air, and chuckled, "Lavender and Jasmine mixed together. And you wash your hair with a pomegranate shampoo of sorts," His voice sounded tired, but not the voice of an old man. "Step into the light, dear. I would look at you more closely."

Grindlewald's face was thin, pale, and pinched from lack of nourishment for many years. His white blonde hair was long and ragged, but while there were some hints of old age about his eyes, he still looked deceptively young. His one left gray silvery eye unnerved her somewhat.

"I'm not here to interview you, Mr. Grindlewald," Bellatrix confessed, "I'm here to get you out of Azkaban. Dumbledore he..." She went on to explain all of Dumbledore's evil deeds, and Grindlewald listened without comment, including about the story of freeing his wife Queenie from St. Mungos.

When she was done, Gellert Grindlewald sighed, "I understand your plight, Madame Riddle. The only problem is that I am kept under lock and key. I do not even have a wand."

Bellatrix smiled, and pulled out a feminine wand of a slight pinkish hue. "Queenie took care of that. It's not the Elder Wand, but she wanted you also to have this letter."

She handed over the wand and letter to the older wizard. He read it, and began to cry. He then burned the letter, and stood. He held his wife's wand in his right hand reverently.

"As powerful as ever," He remarked. "The only problem is that for the greater good, I cannot afford to let you escape here, dear."

Bellatrix looked at him, astonished. "W-What?? I'm trying to _help_ you. "

"And so you will, doll. Now, Imperio!" Grindlewald cast with his wife's wand.

Immediately, Bellatrix Riddle felt her mind go blank, and she laid calmly on the bed, and she vaguely saw her hands set fire to the cell around her, and when the dementors got to her and gave her The Dementor's Kiss, she didn't have much of a mind for them to take.

But one thing was for certain, Gellert Grindlewald escaped, and fed off of the life force energies of the dark magic around him to maintain his youthful appearance once again, and the Order of Serpens gained a powerful ally in the fight against Albus Dumbledore, for the greater good, of course. For that alone was the only thing that would induce the dark wizard to come out of retirement to seek revenge on the true villain in this plot: Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts...


	16. Meeting A Dark Legend

Harry

After much hard negotiations on the Malfoy's part, Harry Potter came to live officially at Malfoy Manor. He had his own room, and bathroom, much like in the Slytherin dormitories, only this time, he didn't share a common room with other boys and girls his own age; he was alone, and he liked it that way.

The Order of Serpens met regularly, and of course, Harry and Draco tried to listen in on the meetings with Extendable Ears. They heard a chuckle behind them, and Draco turned to see a youthful, rather good looking wizard that looked to be not much older than them, put his finger to his lips.

He silently murmured a spell with his wand and they could hear the meeting in the formal dining room easily.

"I have to go, boys," The blonde stranger grinned, standing up. "I'm supposed to speak at the meeting. The name is Gellert."

Draco stared at this wizard, and he bowed respectfully to him, "I'm Draco, and this is Harry."

"I know," Gellert winked, "The others won't shut up about the infamous Boy Who Lived. It was nice meeting you two, we'll talk later."

The blonde wizard with the one steel blue eye, and dark brown eye nodded, and went into the dining room to meet up with the other adults in the meeting.

Draco looked star struck. " _Wow_. I never thought I'd _ever_ meet Gellert Grindlewald of all wizards. He was an absolute bad ass in his prime. My Aunt Bella must have sprung him from Azkaban, after all."

Harry still drew up a blank on the name Grindlewald. He knew that Albus Dumbledore was the actual dark wizard that tried to murder him in his crib eleven years ago in Godric's Hollow. But the entire wizarding world believed that Tom Riddle did the deed, even though he knew that Riddle was kind of a cool wizard, especially since he was a fellow Slytherin 'big brother'.

Harry was about to ask something else, but Draco shushed him. "...Bellatrix is committed, and we just heard that The Kiss was administered to her," Tom Riddle's smooth charismatic voice was heard.

"Yes, but as much as it pains me to say it, Tom," Narcissa's clipped cultured voice, "I, and everyone else warned her. What I don't understand is why you allowed her to take the fall for you, Grindlewald."

"For the greater good," Gellert's smooth voice, "My fellow witches and wizards, let there be no doubt that my former blood brother Albus Dumbledore believes that he acts under this very philosophy. However, it is an erroneous belief. I have nothing against Madame Riddle. But someone had to remain behind, and I have waited eighty years to exact my revenge on Dumbledore."

"Your logic is sound," Snape's dark velvet voice, "And as a Slytherin myself, I think we can all agree why the action was necessary, but the aurors will try to send you back to Azkaban, or worse."

"I quite agree," Lucius Malfoy's clipped, cultured voice, "But there is also the matter of Harry Potter. The Dark Lord is obsessed with the boy, and since his godfather Sirius Black is in Azkaban himself, someone has to protect him from his abusive muggle relatives."

"It's too risky, Lucius," Another voice said, but Harry was unfamiliar with it. "You would have us all chucked into Azkaban before long at mercy of the damned dementors!"

"Calm yourself, Pius," Grindlewald admonished in a silky tone, "I fail to see how you are at risk, being that you...." The magic faded out as Grindlewald's eavesdropping spell ended.

The two boys agreed to separate so that they didn't look suspicious. When the adults filed out of the dining room, Harry and Draco didn't dare to mention that they had listened in on something not meant for their young ears, the punishment from Malfoy Senior, or Professor Snape, would have been a sound dressing down, and so they kept their mouths shut on the matter, even to themselves.

But neither wizard boy forgot the brief meeting with the famous dark wizard, and as the time came nearer for them to go back to Hogwarts after the Easter holiday, Grindlewald spent more time with them, but most of his time was spent with the other adults, and with his wife Queenie, who it seemed was not in the best of health, after all, due to her long imprisonment at St. Mungos. Still, Harry himself could not complain, because despite Grindlewald looking ageless, he actually seemed very cool.

When it came time for Draco and Harry to board the Hogwarts Express, Grindlewald came disguised to see them off, and gave them some money for the trolley. The famous wizard hugged them both, and said if they just needed him, they need only write to him.

Harry hugged his famous new friend and asked, "Why can't I just go to your school? I mean Durmstrang's cool, right?"

Grindlewald smiled, and tousled his hair, "It is, and it's remote. But it would draw suspicion on to the group, Harry. Now, go, and as for your friend Granger, just ask the girl out already."

"But she's--"  
"Who _cares_ , boy?" Grindlewald dismissed, "You find her cute, and she thinks the same of you, no doubt. Do it, you won't be sorry."

"Thanks, Mr.--"  
"Gellert, Harry. We're friends, right?" Grindlewald asked.

"Yeah, I guess we are."  
"Good. Now, go."

Harry boarded the train and waved by to Gellert Grindlewald, but he had already disapparated. He went to sit with his fellow Slytherins, and as he sat on the train talking with his friends, he had the feeling that the rest of the school year was going to be very interesting, indeed....


	17. Formulating An Apology

Harry

Two months after he got back from the Easter holiday, Harry worked up the courage to tell Hermione Granger that he was sorry for acting the way he did, and would she please give their friendship another chance?

Hermione listened to his entire spiel without a word in the library at lunch time, and she seemed torn in her decision, but then she sighed, and said, "Okay, Harry, one more chance. I will give you one more chance, alright?"

Harry was so excited that he hugged her, and kissed her cheek. They both blushed at that and broke apart.

Hermione cleared her throat, "Well, um...right, so I researched over the break what could possibly be happening out in the Forbidden Forest, and what I think is killing the unicorns is a vampire."

"My money was on a zombie."  
Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "Whatever is happening, it's not something the teachers want us to know. But it's getting dark, if we're caught out of our common rooms, it's an instant detention for us both."

They were about to separate to their common rooms when Ron Weasley came out of a hidden corridor, startling them both.

"Ron! What are you doing?" Hermione demanded. "You're not supposed to be out and about."

Ron narrowed his blue eyes at them. "Neither are you. Really, Mione'? I mean, I know you don't like us Hufflepuffs, but a Slytherin, really?? He's a jerk, and you know it."

"Like you're any better, and--"  
"What have we here?" Professor McGonagoll asked, stepping around the corner. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley for informing me on where Miss. Granger and Mr. Potter are. Now, I think tomorrow night, all of you can serve detention together, since you seem overly fond of each other."

Ron Weasley looked red with anger, "That's not bloody fair! I told you where they would be, damn it! Why are you being such a...a..a bitch?!"

Harry and Hermione looked at the ginger wizard like he had gone insane. McGonagoll smiled, a smile of pure malice and venom. "Oh, Mr. Weasley. _A_ bitch, am I? No, I am not merely a bitch, but _the_ bitch. As you will soon find out over the course of your entire years here at Hogwarts. You just became my new slave...in _all_ things. Miss. Granger, Mr. Potter, you will serve your detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. Weasley will be quite occupied for his detention tomorrow evening. Do sleep well, all of you, you are going to need it."

They separated for their common rooms, and even though Harry couldn't believe Ron Weasley's blatant disrespect towards Professor McGonagoll, he feared for the idiotic Hufflepuff. If the Dumbledore's were anything like his Aunt and Uncle, Weasley was going to have a rude awakening as to the true nature of physical abuse.

But Harry couldn't worry about that, because he needed all his strength to find out just what was feeding off of the unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, and he had to find out sooner, rather than later, because he had a feeling that it was of great importance as to what was happening in this wizarding war to come, and he had better be prepared for what lies to come, after all...


	18. Unicorn Blood

Hermione

She didn't like having to go into the Forbidden Forest. Not one bit! It wasn't fair, really, because Ron Weasley informed on her and Harry, and now they had to go on a dangerous mission with Hagrid to find out just who, or what, was killing these unicorns in the forest. 

She got to Hagrid's hut, and Hagrid was already outside with Fang, his huge gray boar hound, and Mr. Filch, the crotchety old caretaker of Hogwarts. Harry was helping out with the preparations while Ron Weasley was sulking on the steps of the hut, and not helping out at all. Harry spotted her, and hugged her, happily. 

"I'm glad you could make it," He said, "At least _one_ of us is willing to help out."

Ron glared at them, and said sullenly, "I'm not going, and that's final! I don't like spiders, and dark places, and...snakes."

Harry giggled, "Oh, yeah? I'll remember that the next time me and Draco are around, Weaselby. Aw, does baby need a baa baa?"

"Alrigh', that's enough, you guys," Hagrid admonished, hefting his huge cross bow. "Now, I reckon me n' 'Ermione will go off--"

"Nope, she's with me," Harry volunteered. "You can take Weaselby. He says the big, dark woods is all too scary by his lonesome. I'll keep her safe, don't worry."

Hermione blushed at that, but said nothing, she wasn't quite ready to say just how much she liked him. She didn't care that Harry was a Slytherin, there was so much good in him that he kept hidden from everyone, but she saw it, and she liked him all the more for it.

Hagrid grinned, nodding, "Okay, if yer sure and all. But keep yer eye out, wands at the ready? Got it?"

Harry nodded seriously, "Got it. We'll follow you, although I'm sure it won't be too hard with Weasel screaming his head off every five seconds."

"Shut up, git!" Ron shouted. "Watch your mouth, Potter, or I'll make you."

Hermione got in between the two boys, and pointed her wand at Ron. "Or you'll what, _Weasel_?! Try to curse us? I'd like to see you try with Hagrid as a witness. Leave Harry alone! He never did anything to you until you and your idiot brothers decided to hassle him, and why? Because you want to be his _friend_?"

Ron Weasley went red in the face, spluttering, "It's...n-not like that!"

"Oh? And what is it?"  
Ron blushed some more, but she pressed some more, because she already knew his secret. "It's cause' I...I _like_ him, alright?! Happy now?"

It didn't surprise Hermione too much that Harry laughed, "Well, you wouldn't be the first closet gay dude, Weasel. My Uncle is waay in denial about it, and he pounded the hell out of my ass before the Malfoys rescued me out of that hellhole. So, go ahead and laugh about THAT."

Everyone looked at Harry, shocked into silence about his confession. Hermione began to cry, and she said, "Harry, I...I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

But he rounded on her, "I don't need your pity. My Uncle is a sadistic queer, what of it? Life isn't fair, Hermione, it's time you learned that. Now, let's go."

The rest of their detention passed by in relative silence, because Ron Weasley kept complaining about every little thing. But then Harry found some silvery stuff on the forest floor, and then a creeping noise, and then the sound of a horse dying was heard. Harry looked at her, and they took off running in the direction of the sound...

✂---------

Harry

Hagrid was already there trying to shoot arrows at a phantom, black cloaked creature. The creature had red eyes, and a bushy beard that Harry could swear was familiar, but how he knew he couldn't say, only that he did. The figure flew towards him, clawed hands outstretched, but before it could claw his face off, Hermione cast a stupify charm on it that made it fall.

Hagrid inched his way towards the phantom, and it disintegrated as if from within, cloak and all. 

"Bloody hell," Ron remarked. "This is some weird stuff going on, and no mistake."

Harry had fallen on the forest floor, but Hermione was already there, and she was fussing over him. "I'm alright," He said, "That thing just scared me is all."

"You alrigh' Harry?" Hagrid asked. "You didn't touch the unicorn didya?"

"No, but I heard it die."  
"Well, lemme get you three back up to the school," Hagrid said. "I gotta tell Dumbledore about this. He's gonna wanna know a possible vampire is on th' grounds."

They all went without much fuss, and when it was just Harry and Hermione, he hugged her, and said, "Look, what I said about my Uncle...it's all true, but no one can know about it, alright?"

Hermione nodded, "My lips are sealed. I wasn't pitying you, I'm just sorry that you were treated like that, Harry. No one deserves that."

Harry stepped up to her, and said, "I know. But most people pity me when they hear about my abuse at the Dursley's hands. I lashed out, and I'm sorry. But, I do like you, Hermione."

Hermione blushed, "You, you do?"

_More than you'll ever know_ , "Yeah, I do," He said aloud, and kissed her briefly on the lips, but just enough to know he was serious. "Good night, Hermione."

He loved seeing the color bloom in her cheeks even more. "G-Good night, Harry."

He smiled, and went to the Slytherin common room, and went directly to his room. After he got ready for bed, he laid in bed, and smiled about finally being able to kiss the girl he most liked in school, and he knew then that he would pursue her...


	19. Sensing Weakness

Tom

I didn't like this plan, not one bit, because it put too much risk on the Order if it failed, and if Dumbledore killed Grindlewald, then their Ace in the hole, as the muggles say, would be all but spent. 

"I'm telling you that he is weak," Grindlewald argued, "I can sense it. Now is the time to strike. There will never be another time than now to strike while he is weak."

"And how do you know this, Gellert?" I asked. "None of us are aware of any perceived weakness in the dark lord."

There was a murmur of assent at this remark, and then I saw Grindlewald pull out a piece of parchment from a pocket in his robes. 

Grindlewald laid the letter on the table, and read the letter aloud, "Dear Gellert, I just had to serve detention, because of a Weasel's idiocy. But never mind that, things up at the school are getting really freaky. Like really freaky, and my scar is hurting me more and more. But here's the messed up part: I felt that same stinging feeling in my scar when I had to go with the gameskeeper Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest to see what's causing all these unicorn deaths. Well, I didn't see any unicorns dying, but I heard one dying, and saw this silvery stuff on the ground. Then some bearded phantom flew at me with red eyes, and nasty claws. I'm okay, but I thought you should know about it. Your Friend, Harry."

"He could have been hallucinating half of it," Severus quipped. "It sounds like a farfetched story. Shame that use of veritaserum on a student is against the school rules."

I scowled at Severus. Honestly, will his grudge with James Potter and the damn Marauders cloud everything that goes on in that man's head?? 

I drew in a few calming breaths before continuing, "I'm inclined to believe that Potter wouldn't lie about something like this. Dumbledore did place the scar on his head after all, and it acts as a sort of homing beacon when he is near to the boy, so there is that. But I still do not agree with you duelling the dark lord until we have more recruits to our cause."

Grindlewald scowled, "We know he is keeping Harry Potter alive because he knows that the curse rebounded, and besides that damn phoenix he keeps as a pet, I can think of no other horcruxes that he made to secure his hold on life. Anyone care to share their thoughts to the contrary?"

No one could make an argument for or against Grindlewald's argument, and so I had no choice but to conclude the meeting. Severus cornered me, and drew something out from his robes. It was a fist sized ruby. 

"I think we should destroy it," Severus said, "Dumbledore has been obsessing over it, and I suspect it is because of its regenerative properties."

I rose an eyebrow at that, and took the sorcerer's stone from my friend. "Thank you, Severus. Will you be staying the night?"

He shook his head, "I can't. He has grown increasingly more paranoid as of late. Just try to keep Grindlewald in check. I want the dark lord dead as well, but now is certainly not the time. Recruit more heavily, and we can talk about formulating more of a battle strategy."

Severus and I parted, and I went home to my kids. I tucked them into bed, and read them a story, but I had the strangest sensation that when I did that win or lose, I might not make it out of this war alive. Bella was for all intents and purposes, dead. I decided then and there to leave everything I owned and valued to my kids as soon as I died.

I worked through the night, and when I was done, I sent the legal documents off by the late night owl post to my lawyers. I would simply let them handle things as originally agreed. I then went to bed, and thought long and hard about the war and the fate of the wizarding world in general. 

One thing was infinitely clear to me, and that was this: Dumbledore needed to be stopped, for the greater good of the entire wizarding world itself, and there was nothing that was going to stop me from completing my goal, that of the complete destruction of Albus Dumbledore, even if it meant my own death in the process...


	20. Delivering The Stone

Severus

His clothes were nearly torn to shreds by the time he got to the apparation point just outside Hogsmeade. A fist sized lump of a seemingly innocuous red rock was in one of his many, many pockets in his robes, and the howling of the hellhound was swiftly approaching.

The red eyes of the hellhound, or Fluffy, as Hagrid euphemistically called the damned three headed Rottweiler, scratched at his back, just as he was able to disapparate to Malfoy Manor. The huge paw went with him, so at least the damned dog was without a front paw. 

He vaguely saw Narcissa run down the stairs before he passed out, bleeding out in her arms...

✂------

Narcissa

The beautiful blonde witch sobbed, rocking Severus's body in her arms. Grindlewald found her, and he said softly, "Let me help you, Cissa.' Please. He needs to be upstairs. Where is his room?"

Narcissa vaguely felt herself give directions to where Severus's bedroom was. It was the same one as he had ever since they were teenagers, of course. She begrudgingly let the handsome dark wizard with the mismatched eyes bridal carry her Severus to the room.

The room was far too black and brooding for her taste, but it was Severus's bedroom and he designed it to look like a posh, dark bachelors bedroom. Narcissa turned down the covers, and Grindlewald put Severus in bed.

Blood was getting all over the bedding, but she didn't care, they had many duplicates of each bed set in the mansion. She undressed the dour potions master, and Grindlewald eyed her curiously.

"What?" She asked.  
"You treat him almost as a lover," He observed, casting healing spells over Severus with his wife's wand. "I'm not judging, of course, but does Lucius know?"

She tucked her sweaty blonde hair out of her face. "Yes," She answered, not bothering to deny it, "Lucius and I have an open marriage, because he's bi. Oh, he's never been that way with Severus, of course, but he keeps those activities contained in the brothels of knockturn alley. I, in turn, have had my own wizards from time to time."

Grindlewald nodded, "Yes, the arranged marriage custom thrives. I escaped that when I was sent to Durmstrang, but I sowed my wild oats there with Beauxbatons girls. But Queenie was special, she was the only one who loved me for me."

Narcissa wringed out a warm washcloth, and cleaned the blood off of Severus's face. "I'm sorry that she's not doing well," She said, and planted a kiss on the potions master's forehead. "I can tell you love her very much."

Gellert smiled, "Yes. But she wanted to escape St. Mungos to die in peace. I tried to persuade her to do the alchemist ritual to keep one's youth, but she refused."

Narcissa traced her finger along Severus's lips. He was still handsome to her after all these years. He didn't have Lucius's easy model looks, of course, but he was handsome in a Victorian sense, in that he seemed to live with one foot in those times and the modern one. People might hate his aquiline nose, the way he always seemed to be furrowed in thought, and even his cold facade, but when he smiled, or laughed, he became truly beautiful. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Grindlewald," She said politely. "May I have some time alone with him? You can tell my husband what happened."

He nodded, and got up, and was about to leave when she saw him come back, and caressed her cheek. Their eyes met, and he brushed his lips over hers briefly. He drew back, and left her alone with her thoughts as he exited the room, shutting the door behind him quieltly.

Comfort. For them both, that was the message Grindlewald wanted to convey to her. It wasn't a sudden outpouring of love, just a simple act of finding temporary physical comfort in a time of great loneliness. 

She tended to Severus some more, and Lucius came in. He wanted to question her, but she shook her head, and only handed him the sorcerer's stone. Lucius nodded, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and left her in peace. He knew it would end in an ugly fight between them if he said anything at that point.

Narcissa cried, and broke down, kissing him. "Oh, Severus," She whispered, "What did Tom make you do now, my love? I hate that you have to put yourself in so much danger to spy for the Order. You deserve peace, love, even."

Severus stirred, and chuckled, "With you, Cissa?' You know I can only share part of your heart."

Narcissa hugged him tightly, "Oh, Severus, you're awake! I'm so relieved."

"Kindly let me breathe witch."  
"I'm sorry, darling." She let him go and sat up.

Severus looked up at her, and grinned, "I got the damned stone, and went through the traps, but the hellhound woke up, because the harp spell didn't last, and there is no way I can carry a tune to save my life. It mauled me, and would have killed me if I didn't run my ass as fast as I could to the apparation point."

"At least we can store it here," She pointed out. "I should go. You must be tired."

"Thank you, Cissa," Severus said softly. "For everything."

She nodded her head. "You know I love you, Severus. Lucius...he's a good man, but--"

"Don't, Narcissa," Severus kissed her lightly. "We bring comfort to each other, and yes, some part of me will always love you from when we dated in our school days, but we're not _in_ love with one another."

"I know," She replied, "We would never work out. I like my freedom in the bedroom, and you demand total surrender. I can't do that to Lucius."

Severus sighed, "Let me heal up, and we can fuck before--"

She shook her head.  
"No?"  
"Can you, for once, pretend I'm _her_?" Narcissa asked stroking his cheek. "I don't even care if you call her name in the act. I want, for once, to feel you completely engaged in making love."

Severus looked a bit shocked for a long time, until he said softly, "Yes, just once I can do that. Now, please, Cissa,' let me rest." 

She moved to get up, but he grabbed her hand, and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her hand. The master bedroom was completely empty, and a house elf popped in, and told her that Lucius had gone out for the night, and wouldn't be back till late. She showered, and changed for bed, and got into the huge ornate bed. She stared at the canopy, unable to sleep, until she gave it up for a lost cause, and threw on a green silk robe over her silver nightgown. She snapped her fingers.

"Yes, Mistress?" A female house elf squeaked.

"Go find Grindlewald and tell him I need him up here," She ordered.

"Yes, Mistress," The house elf said, and disapparated. She climbed back into bed, and waited, and waited. Just as she was about to nod off, she heard the soft knock at the bedroom door. She got up and answered it.

He had on a black robe, silky black pajama pants, and nothing else, his lean, toned chest, and broad shoulders sexy with his blonde wavy hair framing his angular face. 

"You called, madam?" He asked, winking. She let him in, and locked the door behind him, and he cast silencing charms, and other protective wards.

"Are those necessary?"  
His mismatched eyes raked her from head to toe, and he purred, "For tonight, oh yes, it's very necessary. I'm going to make up for lost time tonight, and take you on every surface of these rooms, love. Now, come here."

She obeyed, and as true to his word, he did indeed, take her on every surface of the bedroom, bathroom, and the balcony outside, until collapsing in each other's arms completely satiated by their antics of the previous night.

Narcissa woke up alone, sore, covered in love bites, and unable to walk for two hours after the tryst that proved to be once in a lifetime, and one she wouldn't forget any time soon, indeed, because he was gone, and putting his plan in motion at long last, but not before making love to a beautiful witch one last time. She wished her midnight lover well, and prayed that he didn't do anything stupid before the Order of Serpens could strike first and hard, while Dumbledore was weak, at long last...


	21. At The Stroke Of Midnight

Narcissa

  
Gellert Grindlewald stood before her, eying her, studying her carefully with his one almost electric blue eye, and his dark brown one. She was not ashamed to admit that her heart was coming out of her chest.

"You called madam?" He finally asked, winking. There was a wicked smile on his face.

"Yes," She answered. He nodded and set to work casting silencing charms and protective wards. "Are those really necessary?"

Again, that wicked, sinful smile. "For tonight, it's very necessary. For tonight, I'm going to make up for lost time and take you on every surface of these rooms, love. Now, come here."

She did, and he tucked Queenie's wand away in his robe, and undressed. Narcissa fought the urge not to stare at him. Sure, Lucius had a good body, and Severus's was even better, but even though they had more muscle tone to them, she couldn't help but like his leanness.

He slipped her robe from her shoulders, and purred, "Exquisite. Just as I knew you would be. Now, no more words, get on the bed, and get your ass in the air. I have longed to see it displayed just for me."

She undressed the rest of the way, and got on all fours on the bed. She felt Grindlewald position himself behind her, and at first, she thought that he was just going to enter her right away. He instead, spread her pussy lips with his fingers, slowly, deliberately, and began to lick along her folds.

Narcissa immediately felt her pussy become wet, and get steadily wetter as he sucked her clit while he inserted a finger inside of her, and began thrusting in and out of her. She moaned, "Mmm....uhh...uhh.."

"Shhh, love," Gellert purred, pushing in another finger. "You will cum when I tell you to, not a second before."

He pumped them in and out with greater urgency then, and then sucked her clit even harder, his tongue moving in talented circles around her node of pleasure as she felt her body beginning to surrender to his skilled fingers and tongue.

She cried, and breathed, "I'm...I'm close."

"Hold it," He purred, "I haven't attended to your sweet ass yet."

Oh, wow. No one but Severus knew she liked to be attended to completely in this way. He used her own juices to lubricate her ass before he licked along there, and inserted a finger in.

"Ohh...Yess," She moaned.  
He chuckled, and said, "That's for later, after I have enjoyed the front first."

He continued to finger and suck her folds, until her body trembled with need, and he said, "Let go...now."

He flicked his tongue over her oversensitized clit and that was enough to send her over the edge. "Fuck!" She shouted, her juices flowing down her inner thighs.

Gellert kissed her lips, and said, "Good girl. You've clearly been trained. Lucius?"

She shook her head no. "Ah, yes. I suspected as much. Malfoy does seem too proper of a lover for you. You need complete worship. Well, it's my turn now. Lay down on the bed."

She did, and her lover began to kiss and lick her everywhere, beginning with her feet, then her thighs, abdomen, and when he got to her breasts, he teased and suckled her nipples just the way she liked. He licked up her throat, and then peppered her face with soft kisses. He finally ended up at her lips, and his kisses were just as thorough and methodical as his earlier actions.

He paused to stroke his cock, and when he finally entered her it was in one, hard slam. After that, he fucked her hard and fast into the mattress, really pounding into her over and over again.

He changed positions, kissing her roughly, dominating her whole mouth with his tongue as he fucked her from behind. She came again, and then had her get on all fours. He entered her ass then and he filled her soon after with his release..

They used the dresser, floors, tub, shower, toilet, and ended up back on the bed. When they were done, they collapsed on the bed, panting and sweaty, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, if I got too rough," Gellert said, lacing his fingers together behind his head. "Spending over thirty years in prison without trim or ass can do that to a wizard."

She rolled over, propping her head up on her hand. "It's alright. I have to know though, how you handled the dementors. I'm told it can drive one mad when exposed to them long enough."

Her lover shuddered, and said, "I focused on my hate, my inner rage. Dementors can only feed upon happiness, or joy. I kept my love for my wife, my family deep in my subconscious."

"She's going to die."  
Tears pricked his eyes, and corrected her, "Was, love. She wanted me to do it, without magic, tonight. A pillow to the face."

"I'm sorry."  
"Don't be, Cissa.' We both needed the comfort, and we gave it," Gellert reminded her gently, kissing her. "I thank you for that. Truly. But you have to know as a seer, that your potions master won't be unwed forever."

"Do you...know her?"  
He shook his head. "No. I only know that she is young, not conventionally pretty, but they will be good for one another, I assure you....Four children. I can't see any more, Albus clouds the future with his schemes surrounding Harry Potter."

"Why didn't you kill him?"  
"When we were young?"  
She nodded.

He turned to face her, "Because I loved him as a brother. He already bested me by stealing my wand. We clashed on our ideas, but when he decided to mask his hatred of muggleborns by enslaving them at Hogwarts, that is when I couldn't be part of that madness. Get some sleep, Narcissa. You will need it in the days to come."

They slept then, and when she woke up the next day, he was gone, and a funeral had to be planned. She prayed that Gellert knew what the hell he was doing, because if not, then their most powerful ally would be killed by his own reckless need for revenge, and that would be a loss for them all, not just for the Order of Serpens as a whole...


	22. Severus Becomes A Dad...Sort Of

Severus

  
Two Years Later*...

The dementors carted off Sirius Black after they performed The Kiss. Dumbledore, of course, looked quite the hero after the whole Chamber of Secrets debacle, and the fact that Black came on to Hogwarts property to try to kidnap Harry Potter from the school, well, that was, indeed, a low blow.

Tom Riddle had tried to save Black from himself, but couldn't, and so it was up to Lucius to make it possible for him to live comfortably on the run with his kids Jack, Anna, and Mary. Harry Potter Severus felt personally responsible for, and against his better judgment, decided to go through the process of adopting the boy, because Lily would have wanted him to take care of her only son.

He looked at the owl post that had come in with the afternoon owl posts during lunch hour:

_Dear Severus Snape,_

_I am delighted to express my sincere congratulations on the adoption of your son Harry Potter. Although, you certainly have the option of giving him your legal surname, but it is completely optional, of course. You will be sent the final documents of legal custody in due course. For now, we, at the Department of Family Welfare And Planning wish to congratulate you on your newest addition to your family._

_Sincerely,_

_Dolores Addams_   
_Director_

He set the letter aside, and suddenly felt a headache coming on. Now, with the damned tri-wizard tournament going on, and the deatheaters making an appearance at the Quidditch world cup, he had a lot on his plate. What the hell was he thinking even taking on caring for Lily's son on top of that?

 _Because if circumstances had been different, he could have been your son_ , he reminded himself sharply. He saw Harry Potter look up at him somewhat pleased, because it was standard practice that the adopted child or children in some cases, receive a similar letter. He noticed that Potter shared the letter with Draco Malfoy, and they talked pretty animatedly about that.

He finished up his meal, and retired to his office. He had papers to grade and get through before it was time for the students to leave for the summer break. When the time came for the train to leave for their summer holiday, he knew that he had to be there to see Potter off for his summer with the Malfoys.

Harry looked up at him curiously, and they inched closer together, until the thirteen year old was hugging him. He stiffened immediately, always hating to be hugged by anyone, he even hated it when Lucius hugged him, and they were cousins. He hugged him back grudgingly, uncomfortable with such a display of affection.

He cleared his throat, "Yes, well. I suppose that I don't have to tell you to be good?"

Harry laughed, "No, I'll be good. Or, as good as I can be with Draco as a godbrother. You know how we get."

He frowned, "Yes, I do know."

Draco approached him, and hugged him carefully. He hugged his godson back, and said, "I'll take good care of him, Uncle. We haven't died from our hijinks yet have we?"

A smile lifted at the edges of the four potions master's lips at that, "No, you haven't. Have a safe summer, Potter."

He didn't trust himself to say more. He turned to walk to the apparation point, and disapparated to Hogsmeade. He was met with Dumbledore, and his thunderous look on his face told him all that he needed to know about his disapproval.

"We need to talk, Severus," Dumbledore said sternly.

"Of course, my lord," He answered. He walked into the ornate Headmaster's office, and McGonagoll's slaves were there to attend her, namely the youngest Weasley boy among their number. It was disgusting how the Dark Lady could use these young wizard boys for her own sick gratification, but now was not the time to call them out on the Dumbledore's disgusting practices.

McGonagoll sat at the desk, while he saw one of the slave boys get underneath the desk to eat her out. Severus focused his attention on the Dark Lord. It would not do for him to call Minerva out on her appetites, after all.

Dumbledore folded his arms, and said, "May I ask why you decided to adopt Harry Potter? He was to remain a ward of..." McGonagoll's mewls of pleasure made him lash out, "Minerva! Kindly take your slaves and vacate the office now!"

"Y-yes, Albus," She murmured. "Slaves! To the bedroom at once! Weasley, it is your turn to start! You do not want _another_ Cruciatus incident do you?"

The ginger haired boy looked to the potions master for some hope of escape, but Severus shook his head. Weasley left, and joined his four other slaves in the bedroom. Dumbledore sighed exasperately.

"Do forgive my wife," Dumbledore said in tones of cold disapproval. "She cannot control her insatiable appetites at times. Now, where were we?"

Severus cleared his throat, reminding the Dark Lord, "You disapproved of my adoption of Harry Potter."

Dumbledore nodded, and ate a lemon drop. Severus fought the urge to grin, because he had poisoned his precious candy.

"I do disapprove," Dumbledore continued, coughing slightly. "You went against the rules, the plan. I was meant to have the," cough, cough, "Rule of him. Care to explain why?"

Severus shrugged his shoulders, "You want the Potter boy dead. Why not entrust him to my care? I planned on killing him soon enough as soon as he was assigned to my care."

Dumbledore's eyes became red, and his throat red. "You...you...what is happening to me?"

Severus allowed himself a smile, "Why, nothing my Lord. Perhaps you shouldn't trust your candy, or the slaves who take care of Minerva's needs...shall we say? I take it by your silence that I am dismissed?"

He left the office, and as quickly as he could before he could rush to where Grindlewald was hiding in the Forbidden Forest.

He told Grindlewald what happened, and the dark wizard laughed, "Well, I will go to finish the job. Thank you, Severus. You go handle the details of this ridiculous tri-wizard tournament. I am certain that you will be made Headmaster soon once the Ministry of Magic finds out about all of the illegal things they are doing."

They parted then, and when he was done with his work for the day, he did indeed finish up the details of the tri-wizard tournament with the other teachers, since the Dark Lord couldn't be bothered to run his own damn school. He celebrated with a round of firewhisky, and he allowed himself a moment of joy as he retired for the evening. Everything was proceeding according to plan, and he couldn't be happier...

*A.N. : Sorry for jumping ahead in the years, but I wanted to jump ahead in the plot here so this book wouldn't drag on and on...


	23. Harry Rescues The Weasel

Harry

He could never claim to like, or even care for the Hufflepuff idiot that was Ron Weasley, but he knew something about abuse, and no one deserved to be treated like a slave, no one. He asked for his adopted dad's help, and shockingly enough, he agreed.

"But how are we going to help Weasel out...dad?" Harry asked curiously after potions class. It had been two months and he still wasn't used to not only having a father, but that his dad was Professor Snape.

Snape looked up from grading papers, and grinned wolfishly, "I'm simply going to make the idiot serve detention. You will serve it as well to make it seem fair, and that I'm not 'playing favorites.' Then, I will get you, Draco, and Mr. Weasley out of harm's way."

Would this mean leaving school? If he left Hogwarts, where would he finish his education? Durmstrang? Ilivermorny? Or, gods forbid, Beauxbatons? He heard rumors that most of the wizards that attended were gay. No wonder the girls went for the Durmstrang guys. He didn't imagine that he was in any way gifted to attend wizarding college ahead of time.

"Will I still be going to Hogwarts?" He asked, mostly out of curiosity than anything else. "I mean, something big is going down with Dumbledore and the Order, and I feel like he just wants to think up new excuses to use Filch to use the whip on me. So, I'm just wondering."

Snape looked up from his papers, and gave him a long, contemplative look. "We shall see. Now, I believe that you have classes to attend, Mr. Potter?"

Harry forced down his urge to scowl at being dismissed so coldly. He turned on his heel, and simply left Snape's office.

On the way to History of Magic, Ginny Weasley bumped into him, and knocked her books on the floor as a result. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I..." Her eyes narrowed coldly, "Out of my way, Potter! Haven't you and your snakes done enough?"

He adopted a sneer, and laughed, "Oh, I'm sorry, Weaslette. I didn't see you there, but of course, I could smell your stench a mile off. It smells pungent, like...a dead body. Tell me, do you share a room with your brothers?"

Her face turned as beet red as her hair, and she moved to hit him, but he was too fast for her, and he moved to pin her arms behind her back. "Ow! Let me go!" She nearly shrieked.

"Not until you stop acting like a savage," Harry said coldly. He then whispered in her ear, "How is Ron faring?"

"As if _you_ care."  
"I don't, but no one deserves to be abused like he is, no one," He pointed out. "I could be helpful to breaking him from McGonagoll's hold on him," He let her go, "But it's your choice. Take it or leave it."

She looked at him skeptically, but when she saw that he was dead serious, she picked up her books, and relaxed. "How would you do that?" She asked, more receptive, "I don't understand."

"Let's just say that I have friends in low places," Harry winked. "Ron is going to be serving detention with me, somehow Snape will think of some excuse, and as soon as he does that, you and your clan can get him the hell off Hogwarts grounds. That sound good to you?"

Ginny looked confused, but he rolled his eyes, "Just be ready the next time Ron and I get a detention with Snape, alright?"

Ginny nodded, and said, "This changes nothing between us, snake."

"Whatever, Weaslette," Harry chuckled, "It's funny that you would even think that I would even look your way."

She looked hurt by that, and a tear streaked down her freckled cheek. "You...you truly are a git."

"Good day, Weaslette.."

✂------

They parted then, and a week later, the detention came. Ron, of course, hated to be in detention for joking around in potions with his twin brothers Fred and George, or Ding Bat and Carrot top as the Slytherins call them in the common room.

For the first hour, Ron and I cleaned up the potions lab, but then, Snape said, "Put the cleaning utensils away, Potter."

Ron looked confused, and his blue eyes were just as vacant as always. Harry could never tell if it was drugs, or his upbringing that made him that way, but he didn't really care, he was doing this, because no one deserved abuse.

Snape got out his wand, and Harry followed suit. "What's going on?" Ron asked, sensing that something weird was going on.

"Put this on over you both," Snape ordered them both. "And whatever happens, keep your mouths shut. Do I make myself clear?"

"I wanted to fight," Harry said, in clear tones of disapproval. He took the invisibility cloak, and Ron's eyes widened in shock.

"Wow, those are really rare, and-"  
Harry scowled, "Shut _up,_ Weasley. Do you _want_ to be some depraved old witch's sex toy the rest of your life?"

A haunted look came into Weasley's eyes then, and he paled in fear. "I...No, I bloody well don't...McGonagoll, she's umm...nasty, real nasty in bed."

Harry sniffed, "Yeah, that's what I thought so. Follow my dad's lead, alright? I promised your sister I would get you out of here."

"Okay, I'm ready to go," Ron said. Harry threw the cloak over them both, and Snape rolled his eyes, and twirled his finger in a gesture that meant, 'come on, already!'

Snape led them outside on to the grounds, and just as they got to the Forbidden Forest, something beeped, and it was coming from the spiked dog collar that Ron had on. Then, the school caterwalling charm went off.

"Fuck," Snape cursed. "Harry, Weasley, run, and don't you dare look back."

Harry threw the cloak off, and hugged his adopted father on impulse. Snape, at first, kept his hands to his sides, but then Harry heard a sniff, and then his potions teacher pull him in for a hug.

"Go! There is a port key of an old boot in those trees," Snape ordered. His black eyes softened for a second before he pushed Harry away from him, and he ran off towards the castle, his wand drawn, and running as if the very devil himself were after him.

Harry and Ron Weasley then ran, and found the old boot just in time for one of Dumbledore's followers to get wind of where they were. They touched the old, rusted work boot, and it spiraled them to none other than Malfoy Manor.

As soon as they landed, Lucius Malfoy grabbed Ron Weasley, and modified his memories. Harry didn't dare ask why, because this was the base of the Order of Serpens, after all. Ron's eyes became unfocused and one of the Order members disapparated with Weasley.

"Let's get you inside," Mr. Malfoy said seriously. "Come, inside the wards now, Harry."

Harry went inside, and Draco approached him, and said, "Fancy a game of pool, man? There's muggle pinball if you don't want to play that."

They went into the big rec room, and Draco looked as frazzled as he felt. They were both still dressed in their uniforms, which was a stark reminder that they just came from school with the clothes on their backs, and nothing else.

Fourth year was supposed to be cool, like really cool with a tri-wizard tournament that didn't look like it was going to happen. It was too bad, he was looking forward to meeting kids from other wizarding schools.

In the end, they decided to play pool, but they didn't really keep track of their scores. At midnight, Mrs. Malfoy came in, dressed in her modest white silk robe over a long nightgown, her usual perfectly styled blonde hair all in disarray.

"Mum?" Draco asked. "Are you okay? Mom?" Draco gently shook her shoulder as she looked out the window, which looked out over the driveway. She jerked in response to her son's hand on her shoulder, and shook her head.

"No, son, I'm not," She said tonelessly, "It's not like your Uncle to be gone for so long without checking in."

Draco hugged his mother, "It's going to be okay. Uncle Sev is tough, he'll pull through I'm sure of it."

She went to the bar, and fixed herself a gin and tonic. She drained it in one go, and then smelled it. "I'm...I'm going to go to bed. Please let me know the moment he gets home so I can berate him myself."

Harry and Draco looked at each other, and Harry asked, "Do you think he'll be okay...dad, I mean?"

Draco shrugged, "Hard to say, man. But it's nice that he finally got around to adopting you."

They hugged then, and Harry yawned, "Yeah. I think I'll turn in. See if I can sleep. You going to bed?"

Draco nodded, "Might as well, it's not like the parental units want us helping. I'll see you in the morning, Harry."

" 'Night."  
" 'Night."

Harry went up to his bedroom, got ready for bed, and then tossed and turned in his sleep as another abuse flashback happened. It was one of the usual ones where he was being beaten by Uncle Dudley, and how he would afterwards retreat into depression, and use a small razor blade to cut up his forearms to see if he could feel more than pain and heartache.

He trembled in his sleep, and cried into his pillows the rest of the night, completely ignorant to the duel between the infamous dark wizards, and how it all came to a head on the grounds of Hogwarts for the good or ill of all of the wizarding world...


	24. Duel Of The Damned

Severus

Having taken care of the safety of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, the dour potions master, ran for all he was worth towards the castle. Grindlewald's Dark Mark appeared in the night sky, and for the moment, the wards preventing apparation were down, because dark followers from both wizards were appearing left and right. 

Older students were duelling Dumbledore's followers, and Tom Riddle's followers were trying to get kids to safety, along with Grindlewald's. Suddenly, Lucius Malfoy apparated beside him, dressed in dark wizard robes, his unique snake headed wand out.

Severus stopped short, "What do you want, Lucius? I specifically told you to stay behind and guard the kids."

Lucius grinned, "You know I wasn't going to sit by and watch you get yourself killed. Besides, Cissa' would have my balls if I let anything happen to you, little brother."

Severus lips curled in a slight smile at that. "Is Riddle here?"

Lucius nodded, "Yeah, he couldn't keep out of the action, you know that."

"Yes, well, he was always foolhardy," Severus quipped. "Well, let's go and save the idiot from himself. Shall we?"

Lucius laughed, "As if you have to ask."

They ran towards the main corridor where Grindlewald and Dumbledore were duelling. Both seemed evenly matched, but then Grindlewald cast a wandless spell, and the Elderwand went flying in the air and on to the debris laden wasteland of what was once a beautiful entryway, filled with water fountains, and garden trees. 

Both dark wizards had tears in their eyes, and Grindlewald said, "Goodbye, brother. AVADA KEDAVRA!!" Green magic shot out of his wife's wand, and it struck his former friend square in the chest. 

Grindlewald picked up the Elderwand, and it glowed a pure white color, as if it recognized its true owner, and he cast with his wand, "Incendio."

Red magic flowed out from the Elderwand, and the dark lord's body was burned up to a crisp. He seemed to age to his true age within seconds, and he approached Severus. He looked like a very old, broken man, and it looked disturbing with that one discolored eye staring at him.

He said in a raspy voice, "Hogwarts is yours, Severus Snape. I leave it, and the Deathly Hallows in your hands, and go to join Queenie in whatever is beyond death."

Lucius shook his head, "But what about Potter? Did that not kill him as well?"

Grindlewald looked saddened by what he knew, and shook his head, "No, the boy is free. Tell him that I cared for him. Take care of that boy, Severus. He has gone through enough bullshit in his young life."

A tear streaked down the potions master's face, "I...I will, sir."

"Good. I'm ready now," Grindlewald said, and he handed over the Elderwand to Severus. He whispered a spell over it, and the wand glowed as soon as Severus touched it, and pocketed it, along with his sleek black wand. 

Grindlewald then pointed his wife's wand at his chest, and cast, "Avada Kedavra." Green magic hit his chest, and the life left his eyes immediately as the spell took affect. 

So it was, that both the dark lord of this era, and the one before it perished, because they were too linked by blood to ever truly leave the other in this life...

✂------

One Year Later...

Severus was credited with killing three dark wizards by the Ministry of Magic, and was awarded the Order of Merlin medal of honor, first class. He was also given control of Hogwarts, and he declared that the past was dead, and it was time to put away childish things.

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy returned to school, only Harry insisted on changing his last name to Snape, because he refused to be associated with any of the so called Marauders, or Gryffindor House for that matter. Severus couldn't be more proud of his adopted son, but he would never tell the boy outwardly. 

Severus settled into his new position of Headmaster with relative ease, and while he was a strict Headmaster, he was always fair minded and just. He saw life go on around him, and he felt at peace for the first time in years. The war was over, the past was dead, and normalcy reigned over the chaos of recent years. But in the end, he still had to go to the trial of Minerva McGonagoll, and he could not wait to bring the dark lady the justice she deserved at long last...


	25. The Trial Of The Dark Lady

Harry

The Ministry of Magic loomed before him as he held his girlfriend Hermione Granger's hand. After his return to Hogwarts, they mended their bridges between them, and Harry discovered just how much he really liked the insufferable know it all as his dad called her jokingly in class whenever she would raise her hand and spout her encyclopedic knowledge about the subject of the lecture. 

He explained that his dad only said that because he was annoyed by her overachieving attitude, but it didn't mean that he hated her. 

"But he acts like he hates everyone, Harry," Hermione had said. "How can you tell?"

Harry grinned, and said, "Because I've learned to read him is all. Do you still want to go to the ball with me?"

Hermione had blushed, and smiled prettily when she said, "Yes, of course. But..." She bit her lip slightly, a cute sign of shyness, he thought, "But I kind of want to date afterwards. I'll understand if you say no, and that I'm crazy, or whatever, but um, will you?"

Harry kissed her lightly, "You betcha. I wanted to ask, though, but you beat me to it."

Hermione had laughed, and they agreed to see each other at the Yule Ball, which was held at the end of their sixth year. But one thing was for certain, with Dumbledore dead, he no longer had crazy dark dreams of being killed by him. Although, he still wrestled with his own personal demons from his abusive past, and he still occasionally cut himself, but those were in his darkest days. He soon discovered that having someone who cared about him, and wanted him around really was a balm for his heart and soul...

✂------

Present Day

His dad met them outside the courtroom after they pinned on their visitor badges, and made their way down the black marble corridor to a pair of beautifully carved golden doors with some ancient wizard battle taking place engraved in minute detail upon it. 

His dad was talking to Lucius Malfoy, or Uncle Lucius as the former Harry Potter was calling the handsome blonde wizard these days.

They both turned to face them, and his Uncle hugged him, and asked, "Are you ready to face _her_ again, Harry?"

Harry shivered at that. "Yeah, I guess so. Oh, um, this is my girlfriend Hermione. She's the cute Ravenclaw I was telling you about at the last Christmas ball."

His Uncle took in Hermione, and he frowned slightly, "Yes, Miss. Granger is it?"

"Yes, sir," Hermione answered. "Harry mentions you often."

Lucius smiled, "Ah, yes, I'm sure," He shook her hand politely. "Well, I'm sure they're ready for us now. Oh, Severus, you have a seat on the Wizengamot for this trial, because of you being a Headmaster. Harry, you and Miss. Granger can sit with the other witnesses. Draco will be there to guide you to where you need to sit."

His dad nodded his head in Harry's direction, his impassive face giving away no emotion as always. But Harry understood his meaning: 'I'm behind you all the way on this.' Harry nodded back, and he only gave Hermione a cursory glance before he too went into a separate entrance. 

"Well, are you ready?" He asked her. 

Hermione nodded, "Yes, I'm ready when you are."

They went inside the black marble courtroom, which was abuzz with activity. Draco saw them enter, and he called, "Harry! Hermione! Sit here, next to me and Astoria. We saved you guys two seats."

Astoria was a cute black haired Slytherin girl who was quiet, but was a bit of a snob, in Harry's opinion. It was a shame that Draco was forced to marry her at the end of seventh year. He gave them a year, and that was being generous. 

Astoria sneered at Hermione and quipped, "It's a shame that we have to sit with the _diseased_ among us. Drakey, I'm going to hurl."

Draco gripped his fiance's hand in a tight grip. "She is my cousin's girlfriend, Asha. If you cannot behave, and be civil, then you can leave. We don't want a repeat of last time, do we?"

Astoria's brown eyes watered, and she pleaded, "No, Drakey, please. Not the room. I...I can behave, I promise."

Draco relaxed his crushing grip on her hand, and said in her ear, "Good. Because all I need from you is one heir. That's it, you will have no further use after that time. Oh, and if you fight me in court about that, I will simply reveal the files on how many times I had you committed." 

Astoria cried, and tried to struggle, but Draco looked to Harry, and he nodded, rising, "Come on, Asha. I think you need to come with me."

But Astoria Greengrass was having none of that. Her twin Ashley rushed over to them, and stunned her sister just as she began screaming and throwing a fit about being near a mudblood. Hermione was horrified that they were causing such a scene. 

Bailiffs rushed in, and seized Astoria Greengrass. Her sister had to explain about her sister's mental instability as they left the room. When the doors shut behind them, Draco raked a hand through his slicked back blonde hair. 

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Granger," Draco apologized. "I honestly thought with the adderal that she's on that she would be fine. But I was wrong."

Hermione nodded, "It's okay...Draco. Really. I can see she's going through a lot."

The look his cousin gave his girlfriend froze Harry's heart. _No, you're just imagining it, man. She couldn't possibly be interested in him._ Hermione blushed slightly in response to Draco's honeyed words. 

_So what if she's interested? It's mindless flirting, Harry_ , He reminded himself. But he filed that information away in the back of his mind as the trial began. He knew that if this interest continued, that he would have to deal with it one way or another, but for now, he would let it unfold to see how deep the rabbit hole went. 

Minerva McGonagoll was led into the courtroom, and she looked to be a ragged mess with her gray hair all dirty and unkempt. Her gray Azkaban robe hung like sackcloth on her, and she smelled of piss and shit. The Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, brought the trial to order, and it began with both attorneys giving their opening remarks to the Wizengamot who sat behind the Minister of Magic in the pews above him.

Harry studied the way each public attorney questioned the witnesses, and how they condemned this once formidable witch on trial. A witch who was once Head of Gryffindor House and was one step down from Headmaster in terms of authority at Hogwarts. It was gratifying to see her brought low, and humbled, but Harry could not bring himself to hate this woman, not completely; he wasn't heartless, after all.

But it was Ron Weasley that described in explicit detail what he endured at McGonagoll's hands. The whippings, the kinky submissive games she played with each of her slaves, how he lost his virginity at thirteen, because "the old bitch," raped him when he was supposed to only be serving detention for being out of his common room after school hours. 

It took a week for the attorneys to question Harry, but he was ready to reveal all to the court. Despite his compassion, she deserved to be sent to Azkaban permanently.

"You are Harry James Snape?"  
"Yes," Harry answered.  
"But your birth certificate says Potter. Why is that, Mr. Snape?"

"Professor Severus Snape adopted me, sir," Harry answered, "He is my legal father as of last year. I decided to have my last name legally changed to reflect that. Without going into too many details, my biological father was a scumbag, sir."

"Fair enough, Mr. Snape," The attorney amended. "Do you know the defendant?"

"Yes, I do."  
"And who was she to you?"  
"A Professor at my school."  
"And were you one of her slaves?" The attorney asked.

"No, I wasn't."  
"And yet you and her butted heads quite a bit?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, sure. She was a strict bitch, and I didn't like her, but she deserves Azkaban for her evil deeds."

"No further questions, Minister."

The defense attorney strolled up, looking smug, and Harry wanted to punch this blonde douchebag in his perfect white teeth.

"Is it true that you are a troublemaker, Mr. Potter?" He asked. "That you frequently get into trouble at school?"

"No more than any other Slytherin," Harry shrugged, keeping his face impassive. "We hate rules, whatever. Ask any one of my House this."

"So, you don't deny that you are problem child? A bully even?" The Ken doll replica pressed. Harry wondered, morbidly, if the wizard had a bump instead of junk. 

"To whom? Gryffindors?"  
"Well, yes. Do you deny it?"  
"No, I don't, Ken."  
"My name is _not_ Ken."  
"Nor is mine Potter, Ken. Am I done here, or are you going to keep yanking my chain?" He shot back at the attorney.

Ken's face reddened with anger, but he controlled himself. "Can you give us any proof of McGonagoll's misdeeds, Mr. Snape?"

"I've already sent in photographs of my scarred back," Harry pointed out. "I was ordered to be whipped on multiple occasions for the slightest breach of school rules. Thank the gods, I was never touched and made to be a slave for McGonagoll's little harem, but I know other boys who were. She liked her own House apparently, but she left Slytherin House alone, because my dad is Head of Slytherin House."

Harry was dismissed by the Minister of Magic. Draco was called up, and he gave a scathing report of Minerva McGonagoll. But the report by Severus Snape became detailed, and shocking, especially when he had files of abuse, pedophilic behavior, and other abuses of power that went back to his own school days. Harry was shocked when he listened to his adopted father speak.

Lucius Malfoy then gave a very detailed report that corroborated much of what his father said, only he spoke as a former slave himself. When he was dismissed, the Wizengamot was dismissed to make its decision. 

They came back with a decision within half an hour. McGonagoll was sentenced to life in Azkaban, and when Harry left the courthouse, he felt free. But of course, the shoe was bound to drop sooner or later, and it came in the form of Hermione Granger and his cousin Draco Malfoy six years later...


	26. A Secret Affair

Hermione

Six Years Later...

She didn't know how it happened, not really. But like all innocuous events, her progression of her affair with Draco Malfoy did, indeed, start out innocent, and just that, as friends only. 

He was stuck in a troubled arranged marriage, and even though he had a son by Astoria Greengrass, he still relied on the company of other witches to sate his sexual needs. Harry was never home at their posh London suite, because his work as a high ranking auror took him all over the world on cases. She busied herself with work as Kingsley Shacklebolt's Undersecretary, which was one step below the Minister himself, and it was a damned lucrative job. 

She, at first, only saw Draco for coffee breaks at Barney's on occasion, and only in the mornings before he had to go to St. Mungos as a healer, or wizard doctor. They met as friends, chatted each other up about their lives, and that was the end of it. She still loved Harry, but they began to fight about him being away from her for much of the year, and she complained about her needs as a woman.

"You're _never_ home, Harry!" She shouted. "Never! I understand being an auror is important to you, but--"

Harry's green eyes went cold, staring her down, "But, what, Mione'?! The war may be over, but there will always be criminals out there. Always. I can't fucking help being sent off to wherever to find these dark witches and wizards, it's my fucking job."

Hermione cried, "But Harry, _I_ need you too! Don't you see that we haven't been on holiday in two years, and...well, my friends are beginning to talk about us, saying it's weird as hell that we're not married, or have kids yet."

Harry relaxed slightly at the opposite side of their dinner table as they argued. "Well, we can fix the whole you not having kids easily, Hermione. But you told me that you didn't want any."

She blanched at that. "I...I...people change, Harry. I...I kind of want a kid. I think it would be nice."

"I'll get you a cat instead."   
"Don't you want kids, Harry?"

Harry said seriously, "Oh, I can't have them, Mione.' I took care of that little problem. Two months ago, in fact." He made a scissoring gesture with his fingers. "But I'm sure we can always adopt if you're that desperate for them."

He looked at his watch, and sighed, "Listen, I have to be in Spain in an hour. I think we had a good discussion. But I'm sorry to say that we're not having kids, and that's all there is to it."

He came around to the other side of the table, and kissed her cheek. But there was no warmth in the gesture. Nor was there any love in him, she knew that now. For better or for worse, the loving wizard boy that she knew from Hogwarts was no more.

He left the flat, and she broke down in tears. She could call Ginny, Luna, or any of her friends for that matter. No, she called Draco instead.

He answered on the third ring, and greeted, "Hey, Hermione. What's up?"

She began to break down, and she explained what happened. Draco sighed, and said, "I'm coming right over. That's non negotiable."

"No, you don't have to, I--"  
"Yes, yes, I do," Draco said calmly, "You don't need to be home tonight. And you needed to talk to someone who really gets Harry. Admit it, would any of the Weasleys or Lovegood get what's really going down?"

_He's got a point, girl. Go for it, what's the worst that could possibly happen?_ "You're right," She sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "Let me pack an overnight bag."

Draco sounded relieved, "You have twenty minutes. And then I'm apparating right over. Deal?"

"Deal."  
"Good. See you then." 

He ended the call on his end, and she packed her things.

"One night, that's it. No more than that, I can't wear out my welcome," She said aloud, packing her essentials into her enchanted purple beaded bag. 

She changed into a comfy pair of jeans, a white tank top underneath a dark purple sweater, and put on some tennis shoes. When her twenty minutes were up, Draco apparated into her living room, dressed in a nice dark suit.

He looked her outfit up and down, and sighed, shaking his head, "No way are you wearing that to LaRosettes, Granger. Come on, I know you're capable of cleaning up nice. Now, get in that closet, and let's pick you out a dress."

He marched her into her closet with typical Slytherin tact, and he flipped through her clothes. He found her a dark blue and gold silk dress Harry bought her in Shanghai. She never had the occasion to wear it.

"Harry buy this?" Draco asked, holding up the golden dragon embroidered on the dress. It had a high slit up the side.

"Last week," She confessed. "He was in China on a case, but I've never worn it."

Draco smiled, "Well, you're wearing it tonight. Come on, I made reservations for eight."

She changed into the dress, and threw on some makeup. She needed help with the back zipper, and she felt self conscious about asking Draco to help her. She popped her head out of the bathroom.

"Um, Draco? Could you help? I can't get the back zipper," Hermione confessed. Draco was reading a Vanity Fair on her nightstand, and looked up from his article. He smiled, getting up.

She brushed aside her hair, and she suppressed a shudder as his nimble fingers, cool to the touch, ran a caress down her spine before he zipped her up. 

"Thank you, Draco," She said, turning to face him. He was still standing close to her, and their eyes met, brown on gray. His eyes darkened as he was looking at her, really looking at her, as if for the first time. 

Her breathing hitched as he ran his thumb along the edge of her lips. "We..." He cleared his throat, "We should...um, get to dinner. You, had...a little lipstick smear on the edges there."

He stepped away from her, breaking the tension between them. She put on a pair of black patent leather pumps, and grabbed her beaded bag. They held hands, and Draco disapparated them to one of the most expensive French restaurants in London: LaRosettes. It was something neither of them should have done, but the way to Hell is often paved by good intentions, as the muggles say, and with good reason, indeed...


	27. The Date

Draco

He should take her home, and forget about this whole idea of consoling Harry's girl. But gods, she was so beautiful. Of course, he had only started to like Hermione Granger during Yule Ball, but of course, his life was set in stone, the script already written before he even agreed to take on such a preposterous role as his life. 

There was Orion, though, and he wouldn't trade his son for the world, but he found it a shame that he had no say in who his mother was. Astoria was crazy, and his divorce, finalized a year ago. But it did shock his parents when he scandalized the family with a divorce. The last Malfoy to divorce was two hundred years ago, and that was because his great grandfather Castor decided to set aside his wife Alanna, for a younger, more beautiful witch. He didn't give a damn, he never loved the stupid chit any way. 

Then there was Hermione Granger. With her overly frizzy brunette hair, and nerdy ways, she shouldn't appeal to him. Yet she had a certain charm when her hazel eyes lit up when she was happy, or the way her cheeks flushed pink when embarrassed. But it was during that damn Yule Ball where he discovered that she truly was beautiful, and it had nothing to do with her periwinkle blue dress, or how well she cleaned up. 

No, there was this... _light_ inside of her that was severely lacking in so many girls. She had that light still after all these years, and for a wizard as jaded about love as he was, it drew him in like a moth to a flame.

They apparated to the posh district of London, and walked to where the restaurant was. It was decorated in a modern, minimalist design scheme that appealed to him. He normally hated French food, but Rene, the owner, was a muggle friend of his, and he took care of him well whenever he dined there. They became friends ever since he healed his wife Marie after a near fatal car accident that was so severe muggle doctors gave up on her. Rene took a chance on emailing the St. Mungos website, and Draco arranged it so that she could be treated by him.

  
Hermione looked nervous as she walked in, but she looked beautiful in her high necked Chinese dress that was modest to her right thigh, but yet hugged her curves in all the right places.

Hermione looked around at all of the decor, and a French matre d' addressed them in a heavily accented Parisian voice if they had a reservation.

"Ah, Oui," Draco said politely in French, "I do. You will find the reservation under Monsieur Malfoy."

The young dark haired Matre d's light blue eyes lit up at his use of French, "Oh, Monsieur Malfoy, of course, of course. Your usual table, I presume?"

Draco smiled, "Rene knows me too well. Oui, at the usual table will be just fine for our needs."

The Matre d' gave Hermione a cursory glance, and grabbed four menus for them. "If you will follow me, Monsieur? Mademoiselle?"

Draco held Hermione's hand, and the host led them through the posh, modern restaurant where other patrons were eating and drinking. A pair of golden doors opened up, and they were led into a private red room that was lit with red candles in gold candle holders. They sat across from each other at a table.

"Your waiter will be with you when you are ready, Monsieur," The Matre 'd left them alone. When they were alone, Draco reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"Hermione, talk to me, please," He said softly. "When you called me, you seemed like you really needed a friend, so I'm all ears."

Hermione sighed sadly, "I know that you've known Harry since first year, and are fairly close. So, I have to know why he would just...just treat me so coldly, like seven years of dating means nothing to him."

Draco brushed his thumb across her knuckles, and let go of her hand. "Harry, his childhood...you do know about his parents dying by Dumbledore's hand, right?"

She nodded, "Go on."

"Well, after their deaths," Draco explained, "He was raised by his Aunt and Uncle, and my Godfather, and the Order of Serpens, at the time, thought that his muggle relatives would take care of him. But they were very wrong. His Aunt and cousin treated Harry like their personal slave, and slapped, and barely fed him. His Uncle...well, let's just say that Harry learned about sex younger than any boy should learn about it. He lived in a small prison cell in their basement, and by the time my Uncle Snape took him from the Dursley home, Harry was a rack of bones.

"Hogwarts didn't treat him much differently, even though my Uncle tried to protect him without breaking his cover as a spy. I tried to be kind to him, and we became fast friends, like the brother I never had. Crabbe tried to stop Harry a few times from cutting himself, and I had to bring him to my Uncle to heal him sometimes. Madame Pomfrey was loyal to Dumbledore, you see, and she would have reported everything to him."

Hermione was crying, and she wiped at her eyes, "I...I've seen his scars, but I never imagined his abuse was that bad. I tried so hard to let him know that he was loved, that I cared about him. But after the war, he rose within the ranks of the aurors quickly, and somehow, his career meant more to him than me."

"Hermione, I'm sure that he loves you," He tried to reassure her, but Hermione shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

"Because...because when I finally asked him if he wanted kids tonight, he told me that he got a vasectomy a month ago, without my knowledge, or without talking to me about it," She cried, wiping at her eyes delicately. "Draco, we used to tell each other _everything_. Sure, we sometimes fought, what couple doesn't? But this was a deal breaker for me. If he's willing to just be so secretive with me about big decisions like this, what is to keep him from ever being honest with me again?"

Draco understood then, and laid his hand out on the table for her to take. She held it, and he brought her hand up to his lips.

"It doesn't," Draco answered honestly. "But I know that you still love him, Hermione." He dropped her hand gently. "I...I won't move in on what you two have. But you have to know that I will always be there to care about you no matter what."

Hermione looked genuinely touched by his words. "I...Thank you, Draco. You're a kinder person than I have given you credit for. I'm truly sorry."

"And I'm truly sorry that you have to be so ill used by my cousin," He said honestly. "Are you going to give Harry another chance?"

She shook her head, "I think it's too late for changes. But can we order now? I'm famished."

He grinned, and pressed the hidden intercom on the table. A cute redhead waitress came in, and took their orders speaking English. She left just as quietly as their host. The food and wine that came was fantastic, and Rene himself, a somewhat fat, older French man, popped in to ask how the service was. Draco gave glowing reviews, and paid with his credit card when the bill came.

"You really didn't have to pay for everything," Hermione pointed out. "I do work too, you know?"

He laughed, "Oh yes, I did. It's my treat, really. Now, come, let's go back to my place. We can talk some more, and retire for the evening. Sound good?"

"Okay, let's go," Hermione said. They walked out of the restaurant arm in arm, slightly drunk from their wine, but of course, like some innocuous events, little did either of them know how much their night would reveal of their inner hearts by their actions by the end of the evening, and where they would end up by the morning....


	28. The Date Pt. 2

Hermione

She had been to Malfoy's flat several times over the years, so its opulence didn't faze her as it perhaps would have if she were seeing it for the first time. The decor reminded her of Malfoy Manor with its old world European elegance, and it gave the impression that Draco was some kind of a Prince from another time. 

Draco unlocked the front door, and tossed his house keys on an elegant foyer table that had a silver gilt edged mirror above the blue marble side table. It was late, so there probably was no chance of running into little Orion any time soon.

"Where is Orion?" She asked.  
"With my mother," Draco answered, "We kind of share custody of him. I get him on the weekends, because of my job. But I can, of course, always visit."

Hermione smiled, and then yawned, "That's nice. Oh, sorry," She yawned again, "I didn't realize how late it was."

Draco stepped forward, and he kissed her hand. He seemed to be wrestling with something, and she asked, "Draco, what's wrong?"

"I...Hermione, I _love_ you," He confessed, caressing her cheek. "I mean it. I have loved you for years, waited for you, and hoped that one day, I would be able to tell you."

_Say something!_ She chided herself. _Something, anything. Don't you dare leave him hanging._ "Th-Thank you, Draco," She stammered. "But...what about Harry?"

Draco brushed his thumb across her lips, his breathing hoarse. "What about him? I can give so much more of my heart to you. Harry has been a walking ghost for years. I understand if you can't love me in return, but--"

Hermione silenced his words with her mouth. She crashed her lips against his, and he pulled her flush to his body as one hand caressed her lower back, and the other cradled the back of her neck as he teased her lips with his tongue. Hermione moaned, opening for him, and letting his tongue enter her mouth. 

Draco broke the kiss for air. "Tell me what you want tonight, love," He said, hoarsely, "What do you need?"

"To...to be loved," She breathed, "Please Draco, just for once, show me what it's liked to be loved properly."

Draco smiled, and led her into his master bedroom, and he locked the door behind them. He took her hand in his, and cast with his wand the anti-conception charm. She felt the spell take effect when her womb began to tingle slightly, and then fade. She thought, at first, that they were going to just get right down to it, but Draco went behind her, and began to nuzzle her neck, the glow from the fireplace in the room providing the only light. 

He slowly, but gently, unzipped the back of her dress, and unbuttoned the neck portion of the dress. He peppered her skin with light, soft kisses, and she shuddered at his touch. Harry had not been so gentle, he often didn't want to wait until they were completely naked to have sex, and he borderline raped her a few times, because she wasn't in the mood. 

Draco paused in his kisses, and whispered, "Hey, hey, what's wrong, Hermione? We don't have to do this, we can wait."

She turned to face him, crying, "No, I'm sorry. It's just...you're being so gentle, and Harry, he...nevermind. I'm trying not to think about how rough he always was with me."

Draco cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her softly, "I'm not him, Cherie. I never will be him. Do you still want this?"

"Yes," She said. "Please make me feel good, Draco. Even if it's just for one night, I want to feel...worshipped."

"As my goddess commands."   
He slid her dress down her shoulders, so that it pooled around her feet. She tentatively, and shyly, took off his suit coat, and unbuttoned his black dress shirt. He was lean like Harry, but far more fit, and muscled.

She was about to speak, but Draco shook his head, and said softly, "No words. I only want to hear your pleasure."

She nodded, and his gray eyes darkened with desire, but shone with pure love for her, and her alone. The thought that this handsome wizard wanted her, and her alone, made her feel filled with joy. They undressed each other slowly, and he laid her on his bed, and kissed and licked down her body. 

He dipped his tongue briefly into her navel, and began to lick along her labia folds. He inserted a finger inside of her, and pumped it in and out of her, making her gasp.

"Draco..."  
"Mmm, do you like that, baby?"  
"Yes...don't stop."

Draco popped his head up, winking, "I wasn't planning on it. Lie back, Cherie. Let me worship you as you deserve."

She laid back, and he spread her legs wider to accommodate him skillfully, but thoroughly swirling his tongue around her pussy, and inserting another finger inside of her to thrust faster inside of her. 

She arched her back off the bed, and grabbed a hold of the bedsheets below her for dear life. Draco continue to alternate between his tongue and fingers, but when he sucked on her clit that was enough to make her cry his name as she reached her climax. 

"Oh, baby, you're so wet," Draco said, stroking his cock with her juices. He teased her pussy with the head of his cock, and he slid inside of her. Hermione's eyes flew open at the shock of how long he was. He must have been at least eight inches, but it was hard to say in the dim lighting. Hermione wrapped her legs around Draco, and they shared a passionate kiss as he began to move slowly inside of her, his thrusts almost reverential, as he tried to not crush her with his weight. 

"I love you, Hermione," He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Draco," She whispered back. Draco softly caressed her face and began to pick up the pace. Soon, he was bringing them both to heights of pleasure neither one of them ever felt. When he filled her with his seed, he was crying. But then again, both of them were, so overcome by their emotions as they were. 

Draco threw the covers over them, and soon, both of them were out like a light after making love for over four hours.

Unfortunately, this blissful union and brief sojourn into Heaven was not to last, because of a certain glasses wearing auror who returned to his posh London flat after three months, and found an unexpected, and unwelcome scene in his bed...


	29. The Other Shoe Drops

Harry

Three Months Later...

The Carrillo coven was finally dead, and it was his longest, most exhausting case ever. He had had to go deep undercover, using polyjuice constantly in order to maintain his cover. It was only last week that he was able to kill Antonio Carrillo, the leader. He figured that three months was more than enough time for his girlfriend Hermione Granger to forgive him.

He bought a dozen red roses on the way home, and a chocolate heart box, because he remembered that it was Valentine's Day. He put the heart box in the refrigerator, and put the roses in a vase on the dining room table. 

Something felt...off about the flat, very, very off. He pulled out his wand, and walked on stealth quiet feet through the darkened flat. Nothing was moved in the flat, and yet something was wrong, very wrong, and his intuition as an auror was rarely wrong. Harry lit his wand to light his steps, and then he heard it: moans of pleasure coming from the master bedroom.

What the fuck?? He debated whether or not to blast right in, wand blasting curses at Hermione and her lover, but he decided to be more dramatic about it. No, he was going to handle this as a Slytherin, as his adopted father would, in fact, by waiting patiently in the living room.

"Nox," Harry whispered, as he sat on the black leather couch. Two hours passed, then four. Hermione emerged from the bedroom, dressed in a man's dress shirt. She went to the refrigerator and became very still as she noticed the chocolate box there. 

"W-Who is there?" Hermione asked fearfully. She grabbed a steak knife, and held it between her breasts. "I...I have a knife."

She walked with slow, fearful steps into the living room, and Harry quickly moved behind her, and put his wand to her throat, "One more word, whore, and I will ensure that your death will not be painless."

Hermione began to cry, and Harry used magic to turn on the living room lights. Her lover soon emerged, naked, from the bedroom, and Harry's heart nearly stopped: it was Draco Malfoy.

Draco's gray eyes went wide with shock, and he said, "Harry, man, think about what you're doing...Killing Hermione--"

"Will be an absolute pleasure," Harry snarled, digging in his wand to his girlfriend's throat deeper. The tip of the wand was beginning to burn from his rage. 

Neither lovers had their wands on them, how pathetic. Hermione was trying to free herself, but failing miserably, he was much too strong. She only cried instead, because he knew that his wand was burning her. 

"Harry, come on," Draco reasoned, "I get that you're pissed off. I would be too in your shoes, but come on, Harry! This isn't _you_. You're no killer. We're like brothers. I'm sorry, about this. But I love her. You can kill me, but please let Hermione go."

Harry laughed coldly, "You're a pathetic sack of shit, but I love my dad, Draco. Get some clothes on, and get the fuck out. It will be your last warning. If you decide to go all Gryffindor for my little whore, then I will be forced to kill you."

A steely resolve flashed in his best friend's gray eyes, and he said firmly, "I can't let you hurt the future mother of my child Harry."

"Draco, no," Hermione pleaded, crying, "Don't tell him about that, please. He doesn't care."

"Last warning, Malfoy," Harry warned, "Live or die, it's your choice."

Draco stood his ground, and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Harry sighed, "Your funeral."

Everything happened quickly then as Harry released Hermione, Draco grabbed the knife, and tried to rush at him with the bladed weapon. But years of wand combat, made Harry Potter faster, and Harry killed him with a rare killing curse that split the handsome pureblood wizard in half. Blood, bone, and entrails burst from Draco Malfoy, and he died before he hit the floor.

Hermione screamed, and Harry shouted, "Langlock!"

Immediately, the roof of her mouth sealed itself together so she could not speak. He dragged his former girlfriend by the hair into their bedroom. The room was messy and smelled of sex from earlier, but he didn't care. He wanted her, and he would have her one last time, no matter how much she fought him. 

Hermione struggled and tried to claw at him as he freed his cock from his pants. He gave it a few quick strokes, and buried it into her pussy with a hard slam. Hermione screamed in pain as he fucked her hard and fast. 

She scratched his face, but he slapped her face, her nose breaking with an audible snap as he turned her over and fucked her ass as well. He quickly came, and pulled out of her, his cum leaking out of her on to the bed. He tucked his cock back in his pants, and buttoned himself back up.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!!" He bellowed. Hermione ceased struggling as the killing curse took effect. When her heart beat no more, a sort of darkness lifted itself off of Harry Potter, and he was confronted by what he had just done.

Harry began to sob like a child, and he kissed Hermione's lips one last time. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Mione.' I love you so much."

He killed himself with the killing curse, and the famous Boy Who Lived died in the arms of the only witch he ever loved. Thus it was, that Harry Potter perished for the greater good, and in the end, it was love that finally killed him, because he could not live as a prisoner of life any more...


	30. For The Greater Good

Severus

A Year Later...

The stone statue of Harry Potter haunted the Headmaster of Hogwarts as he laid lilies down at his grave. In Draco Malfoy's will, he had wished to be buried next to Hermione Granger, 'my true wife,' is how his godson worded it. Severus made sure that those wishes were obeyed to the letter. 

The funeral had been most elaborate, and no one knew the truth as to how Harry, Draco, and Hermione actually died. But he had been there to see the bodies along with the aurors on the scene. Draco had been torn apart, Hermione brutally raped by Harry, beaten, and then killed. Harry himself seemed at peace, like the darkness that had plagued him all of his life suddenly lifted, and he looked truly happy and serene. 

Severus ran his fingers over the carved Roman script letters of his adopted son's name. Below his name, were his birth and death year. Hermione Granger, of course, had been buried beside Draco with full honors, and while Lucius and Narcissa did not agree with this, Severus said that Draco loved her deeply, and had planned to marry her. They relented, and the funeral continued without further incident.

A year. It had only been a year since the tragic murders, and although he did not want to admit it to himself, he was still not completely over their deaths.   
Bitter, silent tears ran down the face of the dour, handsome face of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and he wiped at them bitterly. 

"Forgive me, Lily," He muttered, "I did all that I could to help him. But in the end, it wasn't enough. I hope you two are together now."

With that, Severus Snape walked back up to the snowy castle, and back to his lonely, reclusive existence, and perhaps, in the end, all that was done, and said was done for the greater good. But what do any of us really know? The answer is that none of us do, but only that things are done for the greater good in the end of all things...

The End


End file.
